If you’re a fan of atmospheric horror and immersive adventure games, you’ll fall in love with Reanimal. It’s dark and oppressive in places, but also whimsical and charming in others. The world it paints a picture of is horrible and beautiful, all at the same time, meaning dedicated Tarsier Studios fans are in for a treat.

Mewgenics is a strangely engrossing experience, with a tactical style of play and a weirdly wonderful world. While the dark sense of humour and odd quips will likely put off a chunk of players, others will find these elements compelling. If you’re looking for something new in the roguelike world, it’s worth checking this game out.

Nioh 3 was a treat to explore as a fan of Soulslike games with well-developed worlds. Whether you’re a fan of the series or a Soulslike lover looking for a new title to rip through, chances are you’ll get a kick out of this title.

Lanesplit still needs work on the technical front, but when the bigger issues are sorted, it’ll be fun as a casual experience, the kind you jump to when you want to unwind. The actual driving between lanes part is the one that wears out its welcome the quickest, which is a shame, as with a little more structure, it could be something special.

On the whole, Code Vein 2 is far from a perfect game, but it is far from a bad one, too. This will not hit the same highs as Elden Ring or Dark Souls; however, perhaps it does not need to. As another in the burgeoning catalog of Soulslikes, it offers unique combat and plenty of panache while owning its imperfections and inspirations alike.

Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven is a brilliant expansion on an already solid game. The amount of new content it adds is impressive, providing plenty for both players who enjoy combat and those who prefer the base-building elements of the game. If you enjoyed the original game, it’s well worth your time. Join us on the mountain.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a pretty game, the kind where you can get lost in its world. Unfortunately, MIO: Memories in Orbit is a video game, not a cartoon, and the gameplay is a little too mundane, and its pacing is a bit too all over the place. There are certainly worse Metroidvanias on the market, and MIO: Memories in Orbit can easily be recommended for people looking for something similar to Hollow Knight, but more forgiving. It’s more the Metroidvania diehards who will be wishing that there was more under the hood.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a pretty game, the kind where you can get lost in its world. Unfortunately, MIO: Memories in Orbit is a video game, not a cartoon, and the gameplay is a little too mundane, and its pacing is a bit too all over the place. There are certainly worse Metroidvanias on the market, and MIO: Memories in Orbit can easily be recommended for people looking for something similar to Hollow Knight, but more forgiving. It’s more the Metroidvania diehards who will be wishing that there was more under the hood.

Stunning, detailed, and passionately made, it has many redeeming qualities. Still, test-driving the game via its demo before committing to the full game is advised. Peeking behind the curtains of Hollywood is tantalizing, but if you don’t keep your wits about you, it’ll end in disaster. And in a murder mystery, that can prove lethal.

If you’re a die-hard fan of sci-fi and action horror with dinosaurs, you may find some elements to get excited about with Code Violet. It’s got potential in places, with some interesting lore sprinkled across the world, but it’s not going to be giving classic action horror titles a run for their pocket change anytime soon. Get Capcom on the phone.

While there were beautiful elements to Ayasa: Shadows of Silence, like the striking visuals and interesting soundscape, the issues with performance, falling through the map, and mapping made some sections more frustrating than enjoyably challenging. If you’re a die-hard Little Nightmares or Tim Burton movie fan, you may still find some enjoyment with Ayasa: Shadows of Silence. The world it portrays is admittedly intriguing, but the performance and overall experience didn’t feel great.

Unboxathon is a delightful experience for fans of incremental clickers, mystery boxes, and gacha games. It’s a simplistic and soothing game in terms of its core mechanics, with a short runtime and a burst of achievements that make it ideal for completionists who want a bite-sized game to chew through.

Sometimes, it’s easy to want a new game to break the mold and offer true innovation, but with a genre as saturated as cozy games, that’s extremely difficult to do. While we’d be remiss in ignoring where there’s room for improvement, we’d also be remiss in ignoring what Potions: A Curious Tale does well.

While its new steps in a fresh direction don’t quite pan out, there’s no denying this is a fitting next chapter for Samus’ first-person adventures. Here’s hoping we don’t need to wait another 18 years for another one.

Ultimately, this is a game that’ll go down a treat with fans of gambling clickers, rather than fans of traditional poker games. It’s a simple yet engrossing title that’s clearly been made with love, and while a hands-off style of play might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s a stellar example of a high-quality incremental clicker game. If you’re not generally a fan of clickers and idlers, though, this might not be the game for you. Games like Balatro or even the demo for The Devil’s Due may be more your speed, with a hands-on style of play.

While the gameplay style in Pokémon Legends Z-A – Mega Dimension won’t be a hit for everyone, due to the grindy Hyperspace Lumiose sequences and trickier battles, it is a fun addition to the main game experience. Completionist fans and seasoned battlers will find a lot to get excited about with the Mega Dimension DLC.

This PancitoMerge review can’t praise the developers enough for being able to bake such a beautifully crafted experience without a burnt top or soggy bottom in sight. PancitoMerge’s shelf life may be short, at least for now, yet it’s worth getting the game while it’s fresh out of the oven. And who knows, more content could be added in the future, which will once again have you donning your aprons for another trip to Mexico to sample its sweet treats.

Terminator 2D: No Fate is best enjoyed as a short love letter to one of the greatest action movies of all time, with a ton of love poured into every pixel. Those who love the franchise and have despaired at the lack of great games will find a lot to love here. Anyone who isn’t a die-hard Terminator fan but loves the 16-bit run-and-gun era should also like it, but only if they go in knowing that their time with the game will likely be as brief as the second film itself.

As of right now, Renegades feels like the expansion that gets Destiny 2 back on track. Whether Bungie can continue that momentum remains to be seen, and much could hinge on what we’re doing in a few weeks, given that we now have less content month-to-month than we used to. Still, with a fun story, great new weapons, and a chaotic new activity stitching it all together, we might just be back. [Review In Progress]

Overall, My Wife Threw Out My Card Collection (So I Bought a Dump to Find Them All) was a decent experience. The concept was enjoyable, and the pop culture references were fun to uncover, but the gameplay lost steam after a few hours of play. Fans of collectathon games or gacha experiences should find a lot to get excited about, particularly internet nerds who love Twitch, YouTube, and meme culture. If simpler, repetitive gameplay isn’t your cup of tea, though, this might not be the game for you.

Tingus Goose is undeniably odd. It’s a shining example of an incremental clicker game, though, managing to blend together a cozy style with genuinely nauseating body horror, making for a memorably haunting experience. For some, it’ll be a little too weird or hands-off with its style of play, but for the right kind of oddball – this reviewer included – it’ll make for a fantastic addition to their game library.

ROUTINE stands out as one of the most memorable sci-fi horrors of the year, creating a genuinely unnerving, frightening, and otherworldly experience that’ll be a delight for seasoned horror lovers to tear through. Its story feels deliberate and well-paced, with a few startling moments that’ll have your heart thundering.

Warts and all, The Last Case of John Morley is an immersive game that gets under your skin, not least of all because you’re constantly looking over your shoulder. This feels like the beginning of a new franchise, one that could challenge the established status quo of Sherlock Holmes’ dominance in the mystery/puzzle genre. Whether that actually happens is beyond our control. But even if this is genuinely to be the last time we join John Morley on a case, at least it’s a compelling and fitting conclusion for the gifted detective.

Aside from a little clunkiness in places, oneway.exe was an absolute feast for horror-hungry eyes. It’s a strange game – there’s no other way of putting it. It was clearly created by individuals with a genuine passion for internet culture and lost media, and it’s a gory delight to navigate its non-linear strands.

Terrifier: The ARTcade Game is, at its core, a simple yet effective arcade beat-em-up. It’s not the most complex in its delivery, but arguably, it didn’t need to be. The game offers a wealth of gore and viscera for horror movie fans to indulge in, and it features a neat combat system to complement the retro aesthetic.

The competitive multiplayer experience is not only polished but also a genuine blast. It feels like a hybrid between Black Ops 2 and 3, which are two of the most beloved games in the franchise. That alone should tell you how good the multiplayer is this year. Sadly, the supporting game modes are not nearly as good. To be blunt, the co-op campaign is a major disappointment and possibly the worst story in the franchise’s history. Likewise, Zombies feels like a rehash of what was in Black Ops 6, providing a serviceable experience that lacks replayability. The only saving grace is Endgame, but even that is essentially just a reskinned version of MWZ.

It has plenty of replay value, particularly for folks who enjoy achievement-hunting and collecting endings, and the world-building was solid from the get-go. If you’re a fan of b-horror movies, demon-slaying, and goofy one-liners, this is a title worth keeping an eye out for.

Disappointing ending aside, Dispatch really is a gem of a game, and the fact that it came out of nowhere and grabbed the attention of fans the way it did is even more impressive. Few games manage to merge gameplay and story as well as this, and even if Dispatch Season 2 is a long way off, there’s still a ton of potential for this setting in the meantime.