With visuals comprised of pulpy viscera, bones, and teeth, Angel at Dusk is dark and visually distinctive. When it comes to play, the title five-stage campaign might feel succinct, but it’s bolstered by modes with branching paths and runs where you collect and build overpowered loadouts. Bullet hell aces, you’ll want to set aside some time to enjoy Dusk.

Odencat’s games habitually convey the wistfulness of a bygone era. With Game Boy Advance-style visuals and a delightfully pensive plotline, Snowman Story sustains this trend. Documenting the trek of a snow man facing his own mortality, this feels like Frosty reimagined by Mamoru Hosoda.

With the enemy-punishing sadism of Orcs Must Die! and the adaptability of a collectable card game, Guardians of Holme isn’t your average tower defense game. Instead, a healthy amount of autonomy and a constant drip-feed of rewards give this title an edge over its peers.

Razing buildings with wrecking balls and excavators should be a gaming slam dunk. After all, who doesn’t appreciate the catharsis of digital destruction? But Demolish & Build Classic fumbles on nearly every job, persistently disappointing with glitchy play, vague instructions, and tasks that feel mundane. This feels more like a kitty litter container than a true sandbox.

Emerging from Steam’s Early Access program, Immortal Life still has a multitude of small hitches that need to be ironed out. But if you can overlook things like inelegant controller support, dry localization, and text formatting issues, there’s a lot to appreciate. From an engrossing cooking game to skimming across a pond while balancing on a blade, crop watering and wuxia merge in an inspired way.

Computer Repair Shop’s dystopian setting and subversive humor elevates the game above most generic life-sims. But the pleasures of role-playing as a malware installing, component pilfering, technician doesn’t last long as long as they should. If Cheesecake Dev could give this ‘Geek Squad Gone Bad’ romp a bit more structure and a better endgame, this could become a sleeper hit.

A pixel-perfect, feature-rich port of Toaplan's last shooter for less than eight bucks? Shoot 'em fans should rejoice.

Yes, KONOSUBA – God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Love For These Clothes of Desire! is another one of those isekai with an obscenely long title and a partiality for fan-service. But this visual novel adaptation is a bit better than its peers thanks to a wonderfully dysfunctional cast and top-tier voice performances that augment the playfulness of the script.

Whether you tackle Hellcard’s turn-based confrontations alone or with a pair of online allies, the pursuit of team synergy can be involving. Like many card battlers, you’ll need to upgrade wisely, gleaning every diminutive advantage available before reaching the endgame. Here, persistence proves just as essential as having a prudent policy.

Jett Rider isn't perfect, but it demonstrates that a Metroidvania can be uplifted by the incorporation of a jet pack and a few guns.

While Buaichan’s faults make for an absorbing character study, the game’s localization flaws undermine what could be a compelling adventure. Sure, Shanghai Summer looks great, and the plotline supplies potential. But having to infer what’s meant in most lines of dialog making playing a chore.

If you’re seeking a visual novel that pushes into the perimeters of decency, Nie No Hakoniwa - Dollhouse of Offerings won’t disappoint, especially with the optional 18+ patch. But know that developer Chatte Noire’s reflection of sordidness and power imbalance is diluted by the occasional cliché and an ending that lacks closure.

While an improvement upon the original PC releases, Dungeon Drafters still has a few lingering issues. From boss balancing issues to a script that desperately demands proofreading, you’ll encounter frustration Yet, for all these faults, there is potential in the mixture of grid-based movement and the sheer abundance of card-based attacks. Maybe another patch is in the cards.

With 3DS hardware becoming increasingly cost-prohibitive and emulation growing progressively thorny, a remastering of The Legend of Legacy is a welcome proposal. Nearly a decade on, FuRyu’s RPG remains involving - thanks to its non-traditional character development and emphasis on exploration and discovery. But know that the title lacks the sophistication and sheen of most contemporary role-playing efforts.

If you like retro shoot ‘em ups, Verzeus likely warrants its six-dollar purchase price. Sure, it’s not quite as good as Konami’s iconic shooter, but it’s an engaging alternative if you’ve already played through Hiroyasu Machiguchi an immeasurable number of times. You might not be able to duplicate the experience of playing Gradius again for the first time. But a round of Verzeus feels like a musical cover that pays homage to the original while adding just a bit of divergence.

Much like its primary weapon, Missile Dancer 2 is laser-focused on a target of delivering late ‘80s, frenzied, arcade-style fun. Anyone with an appreciation for retro games will undoubtedly find this well-crafted homage to Afterburner and Galaxy Force a direct hit.

Beyond bundling a trio of racing titles and a rom hack-style inclusion, don’t expect much from Top Racer Collection. Yes, the individual titles are fairly evergreen, balancing the fundamentals of driving with light racing management duties like determining when to pit. But the general lack of curation is moderately disappointing. When quarter-century old films arrive on physical media, they’re usually accompanied by a host of ancillaries. But here, QUByte Interactive just delivers the basics. At least the games speak for themselves.

From the improved backdrops, increased difficulty, to the retuning of weapons, 1992's Truxton II improved on its predecessor. But it's never been officially available in the West until this adept port. With the music issue now fixed, Bitwave Games' port is an ideal way to enjoy Toaplan's skull-obsessed shooter.

Don’t let the adorability of the anime-influenced art fool you, Class of Heroes: Anniversary Edition is unwelcoming to newcomers. But that’s less of an admonishment and more of an observation of the game’s intended audience. Dungeon crawling here is appropriately dangerous, while party management is intentionally messy. Let the other folks enjoy their guided walkthroughs, Class of Heroes offers a wonderfully tough curriculum for those seeking a first-rate education.

The first few hours of the original Class of Heroes can be unforgiving, requiring players to do their homework if they want to survive. Class of Heroes 2G extends a more welcoming introduction, improved artwork, and a widespread streamlining of some of the first game’s systems. If you’re a stalwart dungeon crawler, pick up both. But for most players, Class of Heroes 2G Remastered Edition will meet your Wizardry-but-with-moé needs.

Should a remake attempt to improve on the original work? The developers of Rainbow Cotton side with historical accuracy. This rebuild of the ill-received Dreamcast game largely eschews improvements, which feels like a missed opportunity. This is for stalwart fans of the series only.

Bang Average Football is a much better game than its moniker might suggest. For a nominal price, you get a thoroughly enjoyable retro rendition of the sport as well as a robust RPG component where you can lead a player or team to greatness.

Peer past a few coarse edges, and Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess is a thoroughly involving action title that lets you mow down legions of pugnacious lizard men. At present, the game works best when replicating the fundamentals of the Strike games. Skulking a busy battlefield and figuring out the best way to eliminate a cluster of garrisoned foes proves just as engaging thirty years on.

A missed jump is one of the biggest frustrations in a platformer. Frogun Encore’s camera and diabolically placed gaps means you’ll sporadically flop around like an inebriated amphibian. But checkpointing and an endless supply of lives mean that you probably won’t fling your controller like the game’s signature navigational tool and weapon.

Unlike many of Atari’s recent reboots, NeoSprint isn’t willing to deviate too far from its source material, save for the inclusion of a track editor. As such, the single-screen racer might have you feeling nostalgic for Micro Machines or longing for the luxuries (and point-of-view) of a more modern racer.

Sadly, The Story of Bubble Bobble III neglects to tell its own tale and lacks any kind of context or supplemental materials. While the quality of Ratalaika’s emulation is laudable, their habitual lack of curation is disappointing. Ideally, the studio would have included some background information informing of the game’s place in the Bobble Bubble franchise. Certainly, interviews with any of the original developers would have been appreciated. Parasol Stars is a thoroughly enjoyable game that marked a significant shift in the industry. Although revisiting the title’s charming spritework and earworm melodies is delightful, a gem like this should be treated with a bit more respect.

Building on the foundations of 1982’s Robotron: 2084, Satryn DX delivers waves of delightfully hectic twin-stick shooting. If you like arcade style action and don’t have the patience for long-winded exposition, this is a title to savor.

With its tech trees and a broad toolset for burglary, Thief Simulator 2 occasionally provides autonomy as you prowl its suburban neighborhoods. But that sense of freedom can vanish during heists, as the title expects you to follow a rather strict approach to stealing.