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.

Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord is an amusing but largely average tactical role-playing game. Reuniting with characters like Fang, Eryn, and Tiara is enjoyable and the shift to grid-based battles is an improvement. But you’ll likely wish the game offered more innovation than those delightful, vocalized Muse-driven fights.

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.

Shuten Order is smart, stylish, and a bit messy. It’s a visual novel that bounces between genres and tones, striving for freshness as if the world will end in four days, and Kazutaka Kodaka still has some points yet to make. Look past the clunky localization and relish five routes penned by one of gaming’s most audacious storytellers.

This Gal Gun spin-off threatens to outshine the series that inspired it thanks to taut, timeless, two-dimension action. Soloists can trade off between the gun-toting Shinobu and her melee-combo-using sister, Maya. However, having a partner for local co-op play makes Grim Guardians: Demon Purge truly shine.

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.

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?

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.

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked swaps character sheets for card decks and delivers a brisk, highly tactical dungeon crawl that thrives on clever teamwork and fast decision-making. Its streamlined design, diorama-style visuals, and strong storytelling make every run gratifying, even if the camera, party leveling system, and fickle dice occasionally crit-fail your patience. That said, this is one digital adventure that routinely rolls with advantage.

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom: Pirates of the Disturbance is an enjoyable excursion that should delight fans of Satoru Yamaguchi’s multimedia franchise. In Catarina Claes’ world opening your heart can be a risk, injecting a drop of pragmatism into an otherwise straightforward blend of comedy and romance.

Donut Dodo feels like finding a forgotten ‘80s arcade game, right down to the screen ratio and plucky chiptune soundtrack. Sure, developer Pixel Games sneaks in a handful of modern conveniences, ensuring that the game doesn’t feel like yesterday’s baked goods.

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.

Is a modern artistic work that still holds up 25 years later a classic? Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg makes a strong case for admitting GUST’s inaugural entry in the role-playing hall of fame. While the foundations are comparatively simplistic and the relationships can seem cartoonish, Salburg’s cycle of friending, fighting, gathering, and mixing ingredients is nearly as absorbing as ever.

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.

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch swaps its predecessor’s slow-burn campaign for fast, flexible tactical runs. It doesn’t reinvent either the tactics or roguelike genres, but the streamlined combat, consequential meta-progression, and replay-ready structure make it a surprisingly satisfying spin-off for fans and newcomers alike.

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a charming throwback that sticks close to its 16-bit roots. Teaming with upbeat energy and a heroine who never loses her spark, this is an easy remake to enjoy.

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.

Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is a chaotic and compelling rhythm game built around denpa culture, mixing catchy tracks with a satirical story about an isolated, terminally online teen addicted to conspiratorial shitposting. It’s weird, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful though repetitive gameplay and progression hiccups produce a bit of cringe.

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.

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.

Platypus Reclayed keeps the quirky charm of the 2002 claymation shooter intact while rebuilding every ship, enemy, and backdrop in crisp 4K detail. With spirited upgrades and polished pacing, embracing this handcrafted shoot ‘em up is easy as rolling clay into a ball.

With a reliance on auto-targeting, the Vampire Survivor clones can grow tedious. Bore Blasters mixes things up with twin-stick shooter mechanics, where drilling through the environment is just as imperative as gunning down foes. While in-game inflation becomes irritating, the few first hours, are indeed, a blast.

Forza Polpo! channels the delights of 1995’s Jumping Flash!, as you guide a mechanized creature capable of leaping over skyscrapers. Thirty years on, some of the difficulties of first-person soaring and firefights haven’t been remedied. But when the sky is the limit, a few faults can be forgiven.

Discounty turns cozy shopkeeping into a business challenge, blending real-time retail hustle with small-town drama. It’s a welcome change for life-sim fans craving more than just farming and friendship.

Zombie Rollerz: The Last Ship throws players into a chaotic intermingling of tower defense, bullet-hell action, roguelike randomness, and crew management. There are always multiple things to worry about, requiring focused multitasking and quick decision-making from players. Masochists who appreciate a head-first plunge into action-driven chaos might consider boarding The Last Ship.

Cosmic Waves takes the classic brick-breaker formula and gives it a futuristic nudge with charged-up towers, smart upgrades, and plenty of wild power-ups. It probably won’t convert genre skeptics, but fans of paddle-and-ball chaos will find plenty to love here. Maybe skip the story bits, though.

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.

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.