Cubic Odyssey dazzles with its vast universe, striking visuals, and engaging progression systems, but stumbles with early-game tedium and solo-player frustration. There's potential for greatness, but only the most patient space settlers will stick with it.

Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade dazzles with its ukiyo-e-inspired visuals, character-specific narratives, and customizable combat, offering a vibrant roguelite that’s rooted in a mythologized Edo-period Japan. However, repetitive level design and uneven difficulty spikes, dull its blade over time.

Instead of offering players the freedom to walk the blurred line between justice and corruption, The Precinct mostly keeps them bound in a city sandbox. This lack of narrative risk makes the game feel more like a simulation of procedure than a true exploration of power or responsibility. But if you can overlook that, there’s an atmospheric underworld in need of old-fashioned justice.

Touhou Spell Carnival delivers a thrilling fusion of real-time strategy and bullet-hell chaos, demanding sharp multitasking and tactical precision. While its story takes a backseat, the game’s layered combat and charming cast make it a standout spin-off for fans and genre enthusiasts alike.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a fun, inventive follow-up with strong humor and style, held back slightly by late-game narrative shifts and some repetitive mechanics.

Much like its lead character, Death end re;Quest: Code Z commits a few missteps. From near-obliged grinding to stinginess with a key resource, you will encounter frustration nearly as often as witnessing one of the franchise’s Death Ends. Players with limited patience might be better off revisiting the previous two entries.

With some solid storytelling and a pleasing amount of visual charm, Wings of Endless comes close to being recommended. But there’s far too nagging issues with combat and boss battles to advise this over other Metroidvanias.

Spirited sadism and card-based strategizing combine in Deck of Haunts. By day, you’ll expand your homicidal house and by night you’ll play cards to wear down their physical and mental health. The only menacing part of the experience is the occasional lack of instruction.

At times, fighting for your life on a dystopian reality show pushes the 3D brawler into a curious direction. But at present, Kiborg stumbles with ranged combat and balance, surviving thanks to an overly generous lock-on system and roguelike power-ups.

Abstractly mirroring the chaos of our contemporary world, Realpolitiks 3: Earth and Beyond is a hot mess. While the franchise ambitions for pushing policy-making into the cosmos are ambitious, elements like a clumsy user interface, shortage of explanation, and a lack of comprehensible causality keep this one grounded.

Sadly, Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos feels more like an expanded mini-game rather than a fleshed-out experience. Given the franchise’s reference-filled saga, it would be great to see the cast star bring their banter to action games. But here, there’s not enough style or substance to hold attention spans for more than a few hours.

StarVaders is a smart, addictive, and refreshingly original indie game. It references Taito’s pioneering arcade title while delivering a modern, engaging gameplay loop. For fans of tactical titles, deck-builders, or just clever twists on familiar genres, it’s well worth your time.

As you’ll quickly learn, Starless Abyss is not a game for those seeking insubstantial challenges. But for players who crave a good tactical challenge, the sense of discovery, and a constant feeling of impending doom, Starless Abyss should be on your Wishlist.

Although Warside has many of the fundamentals of Advance Wars-style battles down, it’s still a work-in-progress. At present, it’s shaping up to develop into a reasonable facsimile of Intelligent Systems’ turn-based series, allowing its military units to charge onto non-Nintendo hardware.

Although The Lost Hero’s early exposition can meander, Marona and friends offset this imperfection with a thoroughly engaging and sporadically poignant second half. Best of all, the game’s multitude of different combat components melds into a system that allows for a near-unprecedented amount of flexibility.

Snow Bros. 2 Special’s inclusion of new character with distinct abilities is an improvement, while the smoothed-out visuals are more of a lateral shift. Less successful are the extensions to boss battles and modes that offer only a modicum of difference.

Fast and flashy, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves’ fights revive SNK’s long-dormant franchise. But outside of the main event, elements like a rudimentary story mode, gimmicky guest characters, and a makeshift user interface dampen the enjoyment.

Although the run-and-gun stages can grow tedious, Rendering Ranger: R² [Rewind] attempts to redeem itself with enjoyable shoot ‘em up sections. Unless you’re a devoted retro enthusiast, stick with back-to-back sessions of Contra and Gradius.

Fubuki: Zero in on Holoearth – Hololive Alternative is an above-average action-platformer elevated by feverish sword slashing, great looking pixel-art and an abundance of on-screen adversaries. Just be aware, it’s shorter than one of the Vtuber’s streams.

If you’re the type of player who’s easily seduced by a screenful of sprites, Kemono Heroes appears inviting. But a few errant design decisions restrain the enjoyment of this coop-accommodating platformer.

LUNAR Remastered Collection bundles two titles that raised the bar for interactive storytelling, incorporating everything from voice performances to full motion video cutscenes. Although both Silver Star and Eternal Blue provide absorbing adventures more than two decades on, it’s hard not to long for supplementals that document the development of these pivotal works.

Tiny Garden’s ambitions for a relaxed agronomy are undermined by repetition, the lack of controller support, and instability. If you’re lucky, you might be able to get one tranquil afternoon of distraction but not much more.

Like the Vegas strip, influences are pervasive in All in Abyss. From Texas Hold ‘em against CPU opponents, comical conversations, power-ups to earn, mysteries to uncover, and even some opponent fatalities, Judge the Fake’s mixture of mechanics is gratifying – at least when it’s not being too grindy.

Battlefield Waltz’s lead isn’t the stereotypical unremarkable heroine. Instead, Lan is burdened with responsibility and handles it all with strong-willed conscientiousness. As such, it’s easy to see why the visual novel’s bachelors would find her irresistible. Likely, you will, too.

Grit and Valor – 1949 pares the real-time strategy genre down to the fundamentals. The results are taut battles between your customized mechs and waves of enemies and bosses. But progression stems from the technical advantage of collected parts more than tactical insights.

From a unified visual style to maps that will test your mettle, Dark Deity 2’s improvements are plentiful. Sure, the dialog can come uncomfortably close to sounding like made-for-streaming filler. But when you’re using the carefully-cultivated abilities of your party members to trounce a dominant foe, these moments can be forgiven.

Undoubtedly, Choice Provisions has studied the Breakout clones, from Arkanoid to Shatter. Breakout Beyond bundles several of their modernization, resulting in a golden mean of brick-busting amusement.

Habitually, Virballs channels the playfulness of a PlayStation 2-era action shooter. Sure, environments get recycled and mixing ammo types in the heat of battle is clumsy, but there’s the persistent push to see what challenges the next planet brings.

Assault Suit Leynos 2 level of difficulty remains lofty, as you and a small squad of mechs confronts a vast army of enemies across seven side-scrolling stages. The Switch port offers a few ways to tame the original game’s near-impenetrability while English localization lets a new audience enjoy the battle-hardened banter of your fellow pilots.

With its lack of hand-holding and middling combat, Atomfall isn’t for everyone. But if you’re craving an adventure that supplies plenty of autonomy and challenges your sense of trust, Rebellion’s latest might be looking into.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land crafts another high point for Gust’s beloved series. From streamlined and speedy combat, a shift toward open-world exploration, and a thoroughly optimized engine, this is a role-playing adventure that shouldn’t be missed by fans of the genre.

Kamikaze Lassplanes' visual novel elements have you romancing a pair of plane-gals, while it’s shoot ‘em segments send you through bullet-filled skies. Neither element is faultless, but the combination of words and weapons is an entertaining niche.

With its satirical take on telenovels, Destino Indomable offers some outrageous laughs, as you ad-lib your way through five episodes in RCK Games and Megalixir Games’ visual novel. Let’s just hope that the lead character shows more expression if Indomable returns for another season.

At present, the PC version of Rise of the Ronin isn’t nearly as optimized as it should be, divulging a rather wobbly framerate even on beefier hardware. That’s a shame, because underneath those performance faults, there’s a lot to like about the game. Hopefully, additional post-launch patches allow the responsive combat, spirited storytelling, and sumptuous setting to shine.

Never 7 and Ever 17 aren’t just wonderfully pulpy novels that manage to successfully mix romance, science-fiction, and doomsday scenarios. They also plumb their character’s psyches, revealing realistic vulnerabilities. But sadly, the package is marred by one of the sloppiest localizations in recent memory that undermines each branching tale.

Dead Dragons has most of the fundamentals of a role-playing game but lacks the ambition that elevates the genre’s better efforts.

Recall: Empty Wishes’ exploration of grief might not bring jump scares. Instead, explores some of the recesses of the human mind, offering an engrossing examination of loss and occasionally dysfunction.

Accolade’s sports games strove to deliver television-style perspectives. While that innovation nudged the genre forward, gameplay in the Sports Collection often feels archaic. Given the minimal curation, this is for hardcore collectors only.

While many shooters deliver the sensation of being a formidable war machine, Resurfaced channels the tension of a being on a nerve-wracking bombing run. From the floating mines on the surface, regiments of fast-moving opponents that race through narrow passageways, to the army of cannons that line every surface, adversity is ever-present.

Pleasingly, METAL SUITS: Counter-attack absolutely shines on portable PCs like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally, extending solid sixty frame-per-second-performance even when there’s a chain reaction of screen-shaking explosions. Hopefully, Eggtart can temper the game’s sporadic difficulty spikes and prohibits clusters of enemies from bunching up.

Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is a largely triumphant tribute to last-century science fiction. Referencing everything from Gundam to Alien, expect to spend your time on the space vessel interacting with a colorful cast and delving into plotline that sets things up for subsequent follow-ups. In space, sequels are compulsory, it seems.

Elevated by the option for a twin-stick control method and a power-up system which resists convolution, Under Defeat HD makes a fine showing on the Nintendo Switch. Factor in multiple soundtracks and modes and this has a bit more longevity than many of its projectile-dodging peers.

Shooting Insight’s four kinds of shooting are mostly tolerable. But the inability to freely shift modes and the rather dull enemy attack patterns will make for muted enjoyment by hardcore Macross fans.

Inaugural efforts can often be unrealistically ambitious. But miraculously, Shujinkou nails nearly every single one of its elevated goals. From engrossing dungeon crawling, a cast that remains compelling across an 80-hour storyline, to a capability for teaching you spoken and written Japanese, a new watermark for indie RPGs has been established.

Eternal Strands is filled with great ideas. But sporadically, the game’s execution and exposition can’t match these lofty ambitions. At best, the game is a thermodynamic playground that lets you experiment with frost and flame. But once you’ve absorbed its principles (and the weaknesses of the game’s bosses), the game’s appeal might dissolve like ice in an inferno.

Big Helmet Heroes isn’t going to dethrone Castle Crashers as the wildest, weapon-wielding brawler. But this effort is certainly better than many competitors. With a patch or two to remedy the occasional crash, Exalted Studios’ might just land a unexpected hit.

In many three-act works, the middle chapter is often devoted to character development. That’s often the case with The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II, the second installment in Falcom’s Calvard arc. While a core plot device can make a portion of the game feel like a filler, plenty of empathy with the main cast is cultivated here. Coupled with improvements to the hybrid real time/turn-based battles, Daybreak II provides momentum for the third game, but little reason for future replay.

Thirteen years after the original game, Defender’s Quest II: Mists of Ruin offers a few progressions, delivers a different type of story, and neglects several opportunities for improvement. Unlike the cast of characters who attempt to stop waves of invaders, you might want to let this one pass.

Sure, the merger of first-person shooter and rhythm game might seem like an unnatural pairing. But Robobeat gracefully melds the two genres together, with each trigger pull in time with the game’s groove-heavy soundtrack.

Instead of reimaging the game, Montezuma's Revenge - The 40th Anniversary Edition is regrettably faithful to the source material. The result is a repetitive and often frustrating slog that will confound all but the property’s most vehement fans. A handful of changes are evident, such as a shift to 2.5D, polygonal visuals. But none of them improve the underlying experience.

A few minor imperfections are found in Cuisineer’s delectable amalgam of dungeon-based action and restaurant management. But these wayward flavors aren’t enough to spoil the piquancy that BattleBrew Productions has cooked up. With lovely art and refreshingly relaxed pacing, this is a dish that fans of cozy games will savor.

Sadly, Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos feels more like an expanded mini-game rather than a fleshed-out experience. Given the franchise’s reference-filled saga, it would be great to see the cast star bring their banter to action games. But here, there’s not enough style or substance to hold attention spans for more than a few hours.

Although The Lost Hero’s early exposition can meander, Marona and friends offset this imperfection with a thoroughly engaging and sporadically poignant second half. Best of all, the game’s multitude of different combat components gel into a system that allows for a near-unprecedented amount of flexibility.

Team Ladybug understands what makes a great metroidvania. As such, expect Blade Chimera to deliver gripping play, eye-pampering visuals, and boss battles that will undoubtedly elevate heart rates. Thankfully, much of the momentum-breaking puzzling and playtime padding are absent.

For PC-owning shoot ‘em fans, developer Astro Port’s oeuvre shouldn’t be missed. Like many of their previous works, RANDOMAX is inventive, fun, and delectably affordable. Here, decision making is just as important as reflexes as your build uber-weapons for a squadron of gallant space gals.

Whether you’re a musou noob or a series veteran, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is poised to delight. Developer Omega Force has hacked away much of the bloat, allowing the latest outing to focus on more sophisticated swordfighting and richer storytelling.

A strong entry in a sensational series, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana updates the 2010 version with faster load times, improved visual fidelity, better performance, and even voice acting for the game’s typically taciturn lead, Adol. But technical aspects aside, Felghana remains a classic action adventure that’s to taut controls, engaging action, and boss showdowns that will test your mettle.

Swinging around the Grombi islands mostly works and interacting with inhabitants can be comical. But without the possibility of even causing accidental mischief, Completely Stretchy’s open world can feel a bit sterile.

Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop’s logic puzzles and space dystopia won’t be for everyone. If you dread having to assemble drop-shipped furniture or aren’t charmed by sardonic storytelling, the game might be downright laborious. But for DIY tinkerers, Rocket Shop’s space garage sim shouldn’t be overlooked.

Denshi Life 2’s molten display of whirling particles is hypnotic, while its ‘capture colors in a ring’ play mechanic is relaxing. Save for the game’s predecessor, a synthesis of these two mechanics isn’t common in gaming. As such, the game is recommended for those who are delighted by interactive ingenuity.

Antonblast sporadically has moments where the platforming might not be as precise as you’d like. But save for the infrequent frustration of attempting to scale ascending collapsing steps, Summitsphere’s sophomore effort is one of the best platformers of the year. Fueled by a hyperactive energy that makes each stage feel frantic and feral, Antonblast is Wario Land for a generation who came out of the womb multitasking.

Instead of prodding the property along, The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island brings Shiren back to his roots, stripping away some of the intricacies of The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate. While this is a great place to start if you've somehow shunned the series, know that imprudently advancing through the game's dungeons provides a proper punishment.

Held back by a lack of curation and a disheartening hardlock in Rastan Saga Episode III, Taito Milestones 3 nevertheless delivers some gems. Across the ten-game compilation, you’ll find classics like Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Island, respectable second-string action in Thunder Fox and Runark, as well as Dead Connection underrated gangster-style showdowns. Hopefully, the fourth installment will bring back Bubble Symphony and better beta testing.

Critter Café first hour exudes coziness as you begin collecting creatures and decorate your modest coffee house. But soon, it becomes painfully apparent that the developers did not flesh out their designs. The next eleven hours are filled with routine sokoban puzzles, playing four basic mini-games, and seeing the game’s eponymous animals not do much of anything. Do not squander your time with this one.

Xenotilt tests not just your pinball ability but also your visual acuity across its manic, multitiered table. As you’re chasing scoring opportunities and battling bosses the playfield springs to life with particles, plasma beams, and a procession of explosions. Hostile Pinball Action is the intermittent that truly lives up to its moniker.

The only nagging omission from Nick and Tom Jr.’s outing is context. Without the inclusion of any of the original coin-op, console, or handheld versions of Snow Bros., players might not immediately appreciate the effort that went into this adaptation. Sure, it’s probably another one of those instances of licensing restrictions. But with Wonderland, the Bros uphold their legacy as Bubble Bobble’s best rival. Why not honor the Snow family tree?

Perhaps the surplus of formidable fighting games around the turn of the century led to Rage of the Dragons being overlooked. Two decades on, collaboration between developers on opposite sides of the globe proves potent. From tag-team rushes, hard-hitting combos, and dense movesets, NEO transports players to a bygone era before DLC rosters became a ubiquitous practice.

Sunny Syrup Studio’s inaugural outing is ambitious, drawing inspiration from a catalog of retro classics. Occasionally, the run-and-gun or melee-based action isn’t balanced, and your summons can mindlessly punch at the air. But the sheer quantity of different mechanics makes up for the intermittent lapse in quality.

Spell Carnival plays like nothing else. Real-time strategy-style movement against a backdrop of exploding projectiles feels fresh and just a bit frustrating. But dive deep into this Touhou spin-off, and you’ll discover a counter for every attack.

Bullet hell aces might enjoy Angel at Dusk despite an erratic framerate that wavers during the game’s busiest moments. With visuals comprised of pulpy viscera, bones, and teeth, Dusk is dark and visually distinctive. When it comes to play, the title’s five-stage campaign might feel succinct, but it’s bolstered by modes with branching paths and runs where you collect and build overpowered loadouts.

Potionomics: Masterwork Edition different ingredients blend together agreeably, mixing everything from deck building, resource management, and even options for romance into its shopkeeping simulation. With this new recipe, even the bitterness associated with the in-game competitions and been remedied.

Irem Collection Volume 2 contains two respectable run-and-guns and one intense shoot ‘em up that expose the run up to Nazca’s Metal Slug series. But with little historical context and a few minor emulation issues, the classic games here deserve better.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate tosses Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael into a Hades-style roguelike. While performance is solid and the inclusion of co-op is welcome, a deference to formula is regrettable.

Attempts to blend a variety of different genres together can often feel disjointed and aimless. Certainly, Farmagia’s mix of Pokémon-like monster cultivation, real-time strategy battles, and visual novel-style storytelling isn’t faultless. But the game’s various components feed into each other agreeably, creating a compelling and occasionally inspired gameplay cycle.

Between the lack of exigency and a formulaic approach, Voidwrought is competent but rarely compelling. Sure, the game’s dark atmosphere is attractive, and the game’s delivers the fundamentals expected from an action-adventure. But I stuck with it to the end due to obligation rather than eagerness.

The Smurfs – Dreams undoubtedly passes the licensed game test. Even without the little blue folks, this is an entertaining 3D platformer that recalls the imaginative level design and approachability of Super Mario 3D World.

Ys X: Nordics makes several stimulating diversions from franchise formula. This time out, the fast, frantic fights on soil are complemented by measured marine battles. There’s also an enlarged emphasis on storytelling. These additions should please long-time Adol aficionados. But Nordics also offers an access point for anyone aching for the thrills of adventure.

Between Yakuza Kiwami’s rich settings and its hardboiled plotline, it’s easy to become absorbed in this remake of the inaugural franchise entry. But a game like this deserves to be played on a platform that captures the splendor of hand-tailored suits and Kamurocho’s rain-soaked streets. Regrettably, the Switch port isn’t always up to the task.

Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is agreeable when you’re performing fetch quests and grows enjoyable with its trolly cart racing component. But the deep-seated delight arrives when there’s no obvious goal and you’re just soaking up the splendid scenery. Here, exploring the Akita prefecture and a town of hospitable folks feels like a bathtub full of warm contentment.

Peer past some forgivable anachronisms and Critical Games manages to capture the sanguine charms of early console role-playing games. Occasionally, attempts to capture retro appeal can lack authenticity, becoming the equivalent of an unexceptional ‘80s cover band. But here, Joshua Hallaran and the team hit almost all the right notes.

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition can’t completely shake off the look and feel of being a remaster rather than a full-fledged remake. But if you can overlook that quality, seizing control of Death is just as enjoyable as it was in 2012, thanks to Vigil Games’ deft sense of design.

RPG MAKER WITH certainly isn’t for everyone. But if you’re ever longed to craft your own adventure and have a surplus of free time, this (along with SmileBASIC 4) can turn your portable console into a robust dev kit. The benefit over RPG MAKER MV is the ability to share components WITH others.

Every missed shot develops into another hazard across Duck Paradox’s stages. Here, precision platforming and bullet-hell dodging collide in a thoroughly challenging and delightfully hectic 2D roguelike.

Pinball Spire’s fail-free approach is undoubtedly a progressive approach toward pinball. While the game’s multi-playfield campaign is varied, the title doesn’t quite measure up to the fun of a traditional score chase or the feeling of exploration suggested by the marketing.

Parcel Corps is a game with a dozen good ideas and two underdeveloped ones. Although playing as a bike courier delivers some moments, unreliable physics and using your awkward in-game phone weakens the enjoyment associated with jumping, wall-riding, and stunting through cell-shaded environments.

Confusion might affect Misa, 9 R.I.P.'s main character. But if you appreciate a capricious tone and the ability to sinuously shift genres, there's no reason for indecisiveness. Otomate's latest is a devilishly good time.

Undoubtedly, there’s an overabundance of action roguelike on Steam. But Ravenswatch’s selection of literary-based characters boast hearty arsenals that make combat absorbing. At present, fighting bosses in single-player games can feel tedious, so grab a group of buddies, if possible.

Cash Cow DX revisits the arcade era, when success required quick reflexes, a whole lot of practice, and a roll of quarters. Pixel games SARL-S’ latest is a morsel of Mappy, a bite from Pac-Man, a dash of Sonic, and a whole lot of fun - especially if you miss coin-ops.

As a collaboration between FuRyu and Natsume Atari, Reynatis is crammed with interesting ideas. But like a chef who couldn’t resist holding back on the number of ingredients, the result is a muddled mess. An action RPG starring oppressed wizards has potential, but Reynatis waters down its ambitions under a layer of ununified mechanics.

Despite the inclusion of innovations like Prestige, which offers a more sophisticated appraisal of your leadership, Ara: History Untold doesn’t outshine Civilization. Instead, it feels like a lateral deviation, where some components are restructured but others flirt with tedium by the third and final act.

Parking Garage Rally Circuit makes a solid argument for racing games reaching their peak during the ‘90s. Sure, Walaber’s latest effort is capable of cultivating nostalgia, with its Saturn-era visuals and approachable controls. But it’s also a timeless test of skill without all the fluff found in modern racers.

Commendably, The Kodansha Game Creator’s Lab pays developers 10 million yen a year to develop games. It would be great to see a program like this succeed, but if the results are as bad as Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havok, the publisher should just call the program, “marketing”. This is a seven-dollar, slightly playable advertisement that would have been free a decade ago.

Like any competent sequel, Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines rectifies its predecessor’s wayward behaviors while showing off a few new tricks. But the most impressive feat is level design that doggedly challenges and captivates, as you chase down the game’s inventory of collectibles.

Games built around item collection often succumb to tedium or a level of challenge that’s more exasperating than engaging. Caravan SandWitch lets you roam its sunny, sandy local without the inconvenience of enemy encounters or the threat of a ‘game over’ message.

Too often, Solar Crown embodies what’s wrong with the modern racer. Sure, the cars are meticulously modeled and even have working windows. But these minutiae matter little when fundamentals like a fluid framerate and the ability to race offline are absent. Sadly, the latest entry in the Test Drive Unlimited franchise struggles to match the competency of decade-old racers.

Yars Rising delivers a notable deviation from the original Atari 2600 title. Here, Howard Scott Warshaw’s classic is imaged as a hacking mini-game placed inside a metroidvania adventure. While these transitory throwbacks and their variations are absorbing, the principal play between them is too lifeless.

Sadly, SUNSOFT is Back! Retro Game Selection includes only a single engaging title. The compilation’s other two games are unremarkable curios that might be worth a quick look, but only Firework Thrower Kantaro’s trek through Japan is likely to hold your attention.

Miku and her Piapro peers inject personality into Fitness Boxing’s workouts. But like the previous entries in Imagineer’s series, a pair of Joy-Cons can’t provide much feedback on your form. As such, Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku is diverting but probably won’t become part of your routine.