Born of Bread’s recipe for a light role-playing adventure is competent, thanks to charming visuals and combat that favors variety over difficulty. And while it’s great to see a Paper Mario-style expedition on PC, it’s evident that the process was a bit rushed. The occasional crash or underdeveloped mechanic doesn’t ruin the formula. But these can leave a sour taste with players.

The old adage about not swinging at the first pitch rings true for Granblue Versus: Rising. Like most sequels, you’ll find the requisite tweaks and additions. But returning players will witness a wealth of recycled fighters and some rehashed storytelling. As such, it’s newcomers that are best served, thanks to accessible control schemes, improved netcode, and diversions that make the Rising bountiful.

SteamWorld Build blends Sim City-style building with Dungeon Keeper-style protection. Unlike some of its peers, the game is delightfully laid back- at least on the lower difficulty level, making for an enjoyable outing as a civil engineer. But don’t expect much longevity. However, the developers’ resourcefulness doesn’t extend across the game’s five settings, making for a fun, but tragically fleeting career.

Pinball M ushers in a collection of tables culled from mature-rated properties. But save for a bit of blood and a few expletives, there’s little modification from Zen’s previous efforts. At a bit over five dollars for each table, the asking price isn’t too scary. But the pinball platform’s sporadic glitch can be a bit alarming, especially if it occurs when you’re trying to earn a stop on the game’s leaderboards.

Currently in Early Access, Cross Blitz’s two modes deliver a lot of deckbuilding enjoyment, whether you are tackling the pair of plot lines or the game’s roguelike component. Yes, the sporadic difficulty spikes are vexing as you face foes equipped with commanding cards. Developer Tako Boy wanted to remind us that sporadically, the deck is stacked against us. [Early Access Provisional Score = 78]

UFO Robot Grendizer – The Feast of the Wolves plays a lot like the anime adaptations that lined store shelves across the early 2000s. Sure, the series’ signature visuals and Grendizer’s arsenal are here and accounted for- but the play feels more like a work-in-progress than a polished retail game.

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.

Irem Collection Vol. 1 contains a trio of tough, but satisfying shooters that deserve remembrance. But with numerous problems with the emulation and a complete lack of historical context, the games here deserve far better.

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, Yu Suzuki’s arcade games helped propel gaming into the third dimension. Coin-ops like Space Harrier, Out Run, and After Burner felt innovative, each dazzling the senses as they tested reflexes for a few fleeting moments. Air Twister, the pioneer’s latest, does little to advance the basic formula. Expectedly. It looks and sounds better and attempts to inject long-term incentive. But this feels like the arcade pioneer coasting rather than truly tapping into his creative spirit.

Astlibra Revision is the antithesis of hurried development cycles and design by committee. Instead, fifteen years of indie effort has produced an action-platformer where stats are just as important as the timing of your sword (or staff) swings. Extending a fantasy world that feels familiar but also invites discovery, it’s a confident title that ranks among the very best adventures found on the Switch.

Loddlenaut’s chilled-out campaign might lack combat or even complexity. But somehow, becoming a subaquatic custodian is as soothing as a low-tide ocean swim on the hottest day of the year. Moon Lagoon invitation to wind down and restore your might blue home shouldn’t be overlooked.

GUNHEAD offers an intriguing mix of ideas, blending the potency of mech-based combat with some of the intrigue of a heist film. Initially, exploring the innards of defense-packed vessels is stirring, thanks to hard-hitting fights and the potential to trigger alarms. But before long, privateering grows routine, and you’ll probably wish the developers injected a bit more variety.

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.

UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~ isn’t interested in quickly summarizing the key points of a relationship. Instead, it’s fascinated by the impact of social bonds and the intricacies of new pairings. The novel’s premise centers around overwriting tragic memories with new ones. But likely, you’ll want UsoNatsu’s ruminations to linger for as long as possible.

Ultimately, Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story is a mediocre spin-off. While the relationship between Nunu and Willump can be charming, the game’s succession of gentle puzzles feels too ordinary and sporadically glitches. The main thing this road trip offers is a sweet bond between boy and yeti.

A small team of Polish developers did something the big conglomerates like Activision or Electronic Arts would have botched and made a solid RoboCop game. Sure, there are a handful of technical glitches, but Rogue City builds on Verhoeven’s film, pushing the character in new directions. If you’re a fan of the movie, consider this worthy companion piece.

Alan Wake II understands that horror should tap into our fear of uncertainty and a dislike for disorientation, rather than just providing jump scares. Remedy’s latest is at its best when it’s elusive, and you have little idea where the plotline is headed next. Occasionally, it can be a bit self-congratulatory. But if you overlook that quibble, you’re in for a harrowing time.

Although there’s a bit of redundancy and some lethargic load times in the VISCO Collection, there's some solid 90's-era arcade action to be found.

At first, Aged Through Blood’s blend of Trails-style bike tricks, slow-motion gunplay, and exploration seems shrewd. But the mixture of mechanics eventually grows laborious across Laika’s 10- to 12-hour trek. If developer Brainwash Gang could get the action to match the quality of the exposition, I’d gladly ride again with this mama coyote.

2023’s Astrosmash feels like the product of an industry that’s increasingly favoring profitability over artistic expression. Yes, it vaguely plays like the original, looks less pixelated, and now has obligatory power-ups, effectively checking off the minimum qualifications for any update. But for fans of Mattel’s ground-based shooter, it’s a missed opportunity to truly honor a classic.

The last decade has seen far more simulations than exaggerated, NFL Blitz-style interpretations of football. And like a prodigious rookie, Wild Card Football seizes the opportunity, mixing a straightforward adaptation of the sport with collectable cards that can influence a play. Like any newcomer, there’s room for improvement, so you’ll find the campaign too grindy and the commentary too reserved. Hopefully, it will be allowed to mature for a few more seasons.

Likeable WarioWare-clones are rare, especially on non-Nintendo platforms. While not all of Super 56’s mini-games are winners, there’s more than enough clever one-button challenges. More importantly, there’s incentive for replay, ensuring that the game can hold you attention for longer than a single weekend.

Knight vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur is just a bit more than Hades meets King Arthur’s court. Controlling a resurrected Arthur is enjoyable thanks to potent weapons and spells upgraded with frequent perks. Even if the storytelling is second class, responsive controls and feverish combat make this a worthy consideration for any roguelike fan.

Although Savant – Ascent REMIX is still a delightfully hectic shooter, this reworking leaves out a few of the original game’s best qualities. D-Pad Studio’s shooting and sprite work remain skilled, but the beats and power-up system have been discarded, making for a lesser experience.

There’s a first-rate game buried deep within Silent Hope. But tiresome combat and hub world busywork prohibit players from ever seeing the game’s potential. The trend of tuning a game to pad playtime rather than delivering a sense of fulfilment claims yet another victim.

Whether you’re a Type-Moon follower with Saber wallpaper on your phone or just someone who appreciate virtual tourism, Fate/Samurai Remnant’s journey to Keian-Era Japan will delight. There’s a storyline that doesn’t assume familiarity with previous works that erupts in regular doses of intense, action-driven combat. But of all, the writing is a cut above any previous works set in the Fate multiverse.

Bouncing back from a disappointing predecessor, Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless’ back-to-basics approach is appreciated. Developer Nippon Ichi seems to have listened to feedback, increasing the number of classes and rethinking how auto-battling is implemented. Factor in a shift to the setting that allows for a soundtrack with traditional instrumentation and a mild teasing of otaku and this is the course-correction the franchise needed.

Yes, The Legend of Nayuta is part of that prolific Nihon Falcom property where storylines can stretch on for hundreds of hours. But this accessible spin-off shirks tradition, having more in common with Falcom’s action-driven Ys and Zwei games. While it’s now eleven years old, few developers make action RPGs as satisfying as Boundless Trails.