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.

Everyone’s favorite otaku-dad returns for another bout of hyper-kinetic boss butchery. While Suda51’s impish charms continue to delight, performing menial tasks isn’t quite as comical anymore.

It’s been seven long years since the last entry in the fault series. While much has changed in the world, fault – StP – LIGHTKRAVTE delivers the same kind of heartfelt payoff it did in 2015. Only now, the presentation is approaching top-tier.

With dual weapons systems right out of Taito’s Ray series and visuals that resemble PC Engine classics, Moon Dancer should delight fans of retro shooters.

Orbital Bullet is undoubtedly a novel roguelike action-shooter. But the frustration overpowers the sense of fun as enemy attacks become relentless in subsequent stages.

Game Type DX is the shoot ‘em up equivalent of an indie pop-punk album. It’s succinct, spirited, and aims a middle finger at the suits. Best of all, it’s priced at six dollars.

Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S offers a sizable collection of puzzles and the lure of a serenade by the twin-tailed songstress. For vocaloid fans, that privilege will probably push the game toward requisite stratus. But just make sure you have a controller handy. Apparently, Miku doesn’t like mice.

The Rumble Fish 2 is a dishearteningly barebones port of the arcade game, lacking modern conveniences like lobbies, and being able to play in the original aspect ratio. Given the price (and the decision to resell characters included in the original game), you’ll want to think twice before getting into this fight.

The Crackpet Show offers respectable roguelike action for up to four cooperative players. But the game’s real strength is its send-up of reality television, depicting mutant animals engaging in fierce firefights to earn social media likes.

Please Be Happy employs the perspective of a solitary fox girl to examine the callousness and kindness of the human spirit. In Studio Élan’s talented hands, the method is a stirring success, filled with evocative prose, stunning visuals, and a skillful soundtrack.

Using a lightning gun to tackle an armada of antagonistic robots is entertaining for a few hours. But unlike most contemporary takes on arcade action, the gameplay doesn’t evolve enough to sustain long-term appeal.

The major publishers have seemingly abandoned the thrills of vehicular mayhem. Turbo Sloths revisits the chaotic sub-genre, providing the control of oversized asphalt rollers with jet engines strapped to them. The result is a bit unpolished but curious and compelling enough to occupy a few weekends.

Beyond the adorable 3D character models Frontier Hunter: Erza's Wheel of Fortune doesn’t do much to evolve the genre. If you are ok with that, expect a normative blend of action and exploration, augmented by light cooking and crafting components. [Early Access Provisional Score = 73]

With an oddball mix of volleyball and gunplay, Hyper Gunsport absolutely shines with in-person groups. As a single-player experience without any online capability, other audiences won’t enjoy the same level of engagement, especially with a restrained number of teams and incentives.

If you missed the original, let Graze Counter GM send you through a mostly manageable bullet hell. While it’s a brief trek, with different modes, unlockable ships, and even a quirky bonus game, this is a solid value for fans of the genre.

Although Wings of Bluestar’s difficulty can waver and play can be visually bewildering, there are some solid mechanics in Shinu Real Art's debut shoot-‘em-up. It’s the kind of labor of love that doesn’t quite hit the mark but is deserving of a refined sequel.

Comprised of a base game and a rebalanced follow-up that didn’t add much innovation, this isn't a deep anthology. But Breakers Collection's fighting remain appealing 27 years later thanks to mechanics that are accessible to newcomers while fulfilling to those with more fighting game experience.

Boasting two additional stages that weren’t present in the arcade version, a trio of playable ships, and a gratifying alternative soundtrack, Raiden IV x MIKADO remix is a winner that should satisfy STG fans, especially if you don’t own the previous release.

Look past Alice Escaped’s adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s nonsensical dialog, and you’ll find an expedition that’s worth taking, even in a crowded genre. A pair of tag-team characters and the freedom of being able to select your own new abilities endow the trek with distinction. But it’s the visual beauty that truly elevates illuCalab’s latest effort. This is one of the most magnificent depictions of Wonderland.

Like A-Train 3D: City Simulator, I am an Air Traffic Controller - AIRPORT HERO HANEDA is another thorny transit sim set in the land of the Raising Sun. It’s not for everyone, but if you appreciate semi-realistic assessments where hundreds of lives depend on your decision-making skills, then you'll want to book some time Haneda.

Some might take issue with Tiny Troopers: Global Ops’ vague stereotypes or its glorification of war. The real problem is the simplicity of the game, where you’ll face eight hours of near-continuous circle strafing. It’s incentivized by a multitude of upgrades, which not be enough of an incentive for enlistment.

From capturing monsters on the battlefield to producing heirs back at home, Record of Agarest War is an eccentric epic. Five generations of characters will do the fighting while your dialog responses help determine the qualities of your offspring, offer some novelty to an unevenly paced 140 to 160-hour campaign.

Catan- Console Edition does a decent job at adapting the game into a digital format, offering a high-definition sheen to the tabletop classic. Expect a serviceable base game that’s elevated when facing off again humans. Given the lack of any campaign or unlockables, playing against CPU-controlled opponents might give you a case of island fever.

Caverns of Mars: Recharged lingers on the low-end of Atari revivals. SneakyBox adds in elements like different types of weaponry and the ability to slow your descent, but none of these profoundly expand on a rather basic formula.

With an adorable cast and near-perfect performance, Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto of Simulatrix makes a stunning visual showing on the Switch. But the graphical beauty isn’t tantalizing enough to disguise the game’s gacha roots. Mechanized maiden battles aren’t well balanced, resulting in little more than a grind for cute costumes.

Without a set of mock instruments, rhythm games don’t always capture the feel of musical performance. Spin Rhythm XD resists that trends with an innovative control scheme that might have your sliding mice or flicking the analog stick - providing a physicality that cadenced button tapping can lack. A 60-song EDM track list is a pleasant surprise given the asking price.

Likely, the road to revenge is lined with dozens of retries, as SIFU injects a bit of permadeath into its martial arts-driven brawling. But given the game's robust new Arenas mode, walking the warriors' path at least offers a compelling value, with the game's story augmented by a collection of challenges that reference some of the greatest moments in action movie history.

Tower defense games have grown a bit stagnant recently. Although Witch Explorer isn’t perfect, the game offers a curious blend of strategy and shooting. Customary for the genre, it’s grind-heavy, but not prohibitively. The perks you earn provide perceptible upgrades, justifying the extra exertion.