With its metroidvania-style backtracking and shootouts that hinge on careful timing, Exophobia isn’t your typical boomer shooter. It’s engaging and thoroughly challenging if you decide to take on the game’s alien lobsters on the game’s default difficulty.

By providing a wealth of autonomy, No Creeps Were Harmed TD outshines nearly all of its tower defense rivals. Whether you just want to experiment with tower synergies or are seeking unforgiving masochism against a procession of mutating foes, the game agreeably accommodates. Best of all, the game’s innovations layer additional quandaries on a foundation of thorny decisions.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.