Velan Studios has crafted a remake that is respectful yet bold, successfully enhancing one of Nintendo’s most significant titles without compromising its core identity. Its updated visuals, flawless fluidity, additional modes, and a multiplayer component that finally measures up make this the best version of the classic *Star Fox 64* to date. Yet, it remains a product of the 1990s arcade philosophy: short to complete, demanding to master, and built around the deliberate repetition of missions in pursuit of a perfect run. Those looking for a one-off adventure might fail to see its appeal, but players who value games that reward study, dedication, and constant improvement will find a timeless classic that still holds its own.

Dark Scrolls revives the philosophy of old-school, forced-scrolling arcade platformers like SonSon and enriches it with a modern roguelite structure. The screen advances relentlessly, forcing players to stay constantly on the move while facing waves of enemies and massive bosses, all while collecting coins to invest in upgrades that activate progressively via a unique "Rage" meter. The roster of heroes—each with distinct abilities and movement styles—ensures plenty of variety, and the local co-op mode is a delight for nostalgia lovers. The experience is slightly marred by the repetitive nature of the procedurally generated levels and somewhat uninspired, conventional enemies. Ultimately, it is a successful blend of past and present—one capable of costing you more than a few sleepless nights.

EA Sports UFC 6 refines an already strong formula, offering more spectacular and believable fights thanks to a striking system that effectively delivers the full power of punches, kicks, and elbows. The ground-fighting sequences are also very well done, featuring depth and technicality, while the Career mode accurately represents the dual life of the modern fighter, torn between training and the pursuit of fame. Less convincing is the Flow bar, which introduces an arcade element that doesn’t quite fit with the game’s simulation-oriented spirit, along with some inaccuracies in the slow-motion highlights. It doesn’t revolutionize the series, but it improves it in almost every aspect, confirming its status as the best UFC game from EA Sports.

Just like the original release of Devil May Cry 5, this Devil Hunter Edition for Switch 2 arrives during a golden era for Capcom, which is currently enjoying the success of *RE Requiem* and Pragmata while awaiting the new Onimusha. The overall quality of this edition is excellent, and there are no complaints regarding the amount of content, despite the absence of a few features found in the previously released *Special Edition*. It is a shame about a few technical hiccups, though they do not significantly detract from the overall quality of the experience.

The Adventures of Elliot borrows heavily from the core gameplay mechanics of the classic 2D Zelda titles, channeling them into an enjoyable action RPG featuring a narrative with a distinctly Square Enix feel. While the plot starts off a bit flat, it picks up momentum and delivers quite a few surprises. The limited enemy variety and rather basic mission design are partially offset by a solid cast of characters, some interesting puzzles, and entertaining boss battles.

Gothic Remake has plenty of both good and bad aspects: the work by the team at Alkimia faithfully captures the spirit and brutality of the original game, immersing it in an incredible visual style, but just like 25 years ago, the title is plagued by technical issues and bugs of various kinds. That said, it’s a rediscovery of one of the best RPGs ever produced by the gaming industry, capable of captivating players with a brilliant story and a tangible, satisfying sense of progression. Perfect for longtime fans, and perhaps there are a few curious newcomers out there who will discover Gothic this way, through a generally solid remake.

eFootball Kick-Off! brings Konami's football to Nintendo with gameplay that's pleasantly reminiscent of the old PES games. There are several limitations and plenty of room for improvement, but it's a decent debut.

Solarpunk is a solid, cozy, low intensity game, but if you’re looking for an adventure that lasts more than a hundred hours, you should probably look somewhere else.

For the Nintendo Switch 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth represents more than just a simple port—it is a statement of intent. It serves as a concrete demonstration of what the platform is capable of hosting when a developer chooses to invest time and resources into an adaptation built specifically around the hardware, rather than merely scaling back graphics settings to the breaking point. The compromises are evident—at times even aggressive—yet almost invariably chosen with intelligence. The final result obviously does not attain the visual excellence of the PS5 version, let alone that of the PC release; nevertheless, it succeeds in preserving what truly matters: the scale, the atmosphere, and the sense of wonder that accompany every step of the journey undertaken by Cloud and his companions. And considering the complexity of the original work, that is no small feat.

Forza Horizon 6 is a superbly crafted game from a studio that knows its job perfectly: Japan works brilliantly as a setting, the driving physics are still the best in the genre within an open-world context, and there’s enough content to keep me busy until the next instalment. Yet there’s a ‘but’ that hangs over the whole experience. The Horizon series now has such a well-established formula that its instalments risk becoming indistinguishable from one another in the memory. In a few years’ time, will I remember the nights in Tokyo, the giant mech, the first time I lost control on ice in those picture-postcard landscapes? Or will I simply remember ‘the Japanese instalment’ as a generic title in a sequence of games that are all a bit the same? It’s a question every fan of the series should ask themselves honestly. Not to belittle what Playground has built — it’s a lot, and it’s done well — but to understand what we expect from a franchise that still has all the potential to surprise, and which here deliberately chooses not to do so.

Let's not mince words: 007 First Light is a genuine game-changer for the action-stealth genre. IO Interactive masterfully strikes a balance between a mature narrative and cinematic direction, all while delivering a level design that actively encourages player experimentation and creativity. The seamless transition between silent infiltration, clever gadgetry, and a dynamic combat system that fully leverages the environment showcases an extraordinary level of mastery and creative flair. The Danish studio has crafted an experience as robust as it is ambitious, perfectly honoring and celebrating the James Bond legacy.

Forefront takes the concept of large-scale military sandbox shooters and transports it into VR with rare ambition. The 16v16 battles work brilliantly, the vehicles deliver spectacular moments, and the gunplay strikes an excellent balance between immediacy and realism. On the Meta Quest 3, it inevitably makes some technical compromises—and the balancing isn't quite perfect yet, with other rough edges still needing to be smoothed out—but the sum of its parts delivers a rare sense of enjoyment, alongside some of the most immersive and thrilling multiplayer experiences seen in virtual reality to date.

Mina the Hollower possesses the allure of video games that are unafraid to ask something of the player: attention, memory, curiosity, and a certain tolerance for defeat. Yacht Club Games adopts the visual language of 8-bit classics and treats it as something living—eschewing nostalgia for its own sake to craft a surprisingly modern, fierce adventure brimming with personality. Between open-ended exploration, challenging combat, and level design that seems to conceal a secret around every corner, the Isle of Umbra achieves something rare: it restores an authentic sense of discovery, learning from the great masters of the past to write a story entirely its own.

Space Haven is a deep and unforgiving space colony simulator in which you start with four survivors and a handful of resources, aiming to build—piece by piece—a self-sufficient interstellar colony. The gameplay weaves together crew management, production, power, oxygen, research, combat, and rescue missions with a complexity that rewards careful planning and nerves of steel. The excellent pixel art is paired with a rigid progression system that veteran players may find predictable—though this is a characteristic common to all the genre's staples.

LumenTale is proof that being passionate about a series of videogames does not mean that you have to blindly follow in its footsteps: the combat system is able to cleverly mix elements from both Pokémon and Final Fantasy, while genuinely feeling like its own thing. What more could you ask for?

Complexity is both the greatest strength and the main limitation of Terra Invicta. The depth of the relationships between factions and nations makes the early stages of every game a fascinating geopolitical web, while the phases involving confrontations with alien factions feel a bit anticlimactic. Without being off-putting, Terra Invicta organizes the vast amount of information needed to master the game into cards and screens, leaving it up to the player to make the connections. Stimulating, but also challenging.

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II expands upon its predecessor's formula by introducing two distinct campaigns and truly divergent tactical approaches for the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Necrons. Customizable Lords, unit management, dynamic events, and new environmental mechanics add greater strategic depth to an already solid tactical game. Atmosphere, art direction, and fidelity to the GW universe remain its key strengths, while a few drawn-out missions—along with room for improvement in quest and level design variety, plus a handful of other minor flaws—represent the less successful aspects of a sequel that is sure to delight fans of the original title.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a delightful game. True to the tradition of Yoshi games, it introduces a new concept per level, but its unconventional approach to platforming allows you to explore each one thoroughly; in fact, experimenting with each one is essential for progress. The literary theme isn’t just a gimmick, it shapes every single aspect of the game: everything functions and looks like it’s in a book—or rather, like the pages of an ancient bestiary of fantastical creatures into which a host of talented people have poured abundant creativity and imagination.

ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies takes the classic structure of narrative adventure games—multiple dialogue options, locations to explore, and items to retrieve—and grafts it onto a surprisingly deep RPG system, featuring psychological stats, customizable builds, perks, and dice rolls that can radically alter the course of events. "Dramatic Encounters" heighten the tension with turn-based sequences that simulate the most intense action scenes. The appeal is immense for those who love cerebral spy stories, dense writing, and freedom of choice; however, the colossal amount of text might deter players seeking a faster pace, and the strong resemblance to Disco Elysium inevitably deprives the experience of that "wow factor" that made the first installment so surprising.

The integration of “Arkham-style” gameplay provided the boost that LEGO titles had been missing. *The Dark Knight’s Legacy* is undoubtedly one of the finest entries in this multifaceted saga, which has now been running for 30 years. It is a fresh and entertaining title that masterfully blends immediacy with variety, creating a Batman multiverse brimming with surprises. Once again, however, the absence of an online option for co-op mode—which TT Games stubbornly continues to omit from its games—is a sore point.

Ultimately, SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance – SEGA Villains Level is a DLC that delivers on its promises… but falls just short of making a lasting impression. The boss battles are the true heart of the experience: spectacular, well-crafted and capable of evoking the Sega tradition with great respect and sensitivity. It is here that the package really shines, turning every encounter into a mini-event. Everything else, however, struggles to keep up. The levels leading up to these encounters are functional but unremarkable, lacking the inventiveness and personality that made the base game so memorable. The result is content that’s enjoyable to play through, but rarely surprises. It therefore remains an addition recommended primarily for fans and those feeling nostalgic, capable of delivering moments of great satisfaction, but also leaving the feeling of an opportunity only partially seized.

The Cthulhu Mythos echoes throughout Call of the Elder Gods, which faithfully replicates the gameplay of its predecessor, Call of the Sea, yet offers a more robust structure and an equally intriguing narrative. Some gameplay elements could have been utilized more effectively to lend greater personality to this sequel; nevertheless, it is bound to appeal to fans of the genre—as well as to those who enjoyed the controversial first installment of the saga.

Black Jacket transforms blackjack into a surprisingly deep roguelite deckbuilder, where hitting 21 is merely the starting point. Modifiable cards, special effects, increasingly absurd combos, and tables with unique powers turn every match into a war of manipulation and infernal sabotage. The gameplay manages to evolve continuously, shifting from a simple card game into a true turn-based strategy title. The decadent horror atmosphere is also excellent. There are, however, a few limitations: the grinding required to build a truly competitive deck can feel repetitive, and—as in all games of chance—some matches ultimately depend more on luck than on pure skill.

Based on a simple premise, Nitro Gen Omega’s combat is genuinely very entertaining and well thought out, and the fun animations are a nice added value. Unfortunately, grindy progession, a barebones open world, unexciting characters, and a perplexing system for switching mechas end up dragging the entire game down.

You were expecting me to write, “that’s what everyone says,” weren’t you? Well, think again—not least because Alt Shift’s game strikes me as the polarizing sort: those who manage to click with the gameplay loop and find the challenge posed by the Extinction levels truly galvanizing could easily sink dozens of hours into it; personally, however, after just seven or eight runs, I’d already had my fill due to the lack of situational variety. What is undeniable, though, is that the Battlestar Galactica-esque atmosphere hits the mark perfectly.

A new chapter in The Dark Pictures series attempts to remain anchored to its roots while simultaneously seeking to distance itself by offering something new. Mission accomplished? Not exactly. Although it is an enjoyable and well-crafted experience, the balance between gameplay and cinematic elements once again tips excessively in favor of the latter, and the freedom granted to the player seems even more limited than in previous installments. A game structure that is a bit too fragmented and permissive diminishes the sense of tension and immersion in the story—a narrative that, in turn, leaves itself open to criticism due to its heavy "inspiration" drawn from certain classics of the sci-fi horror genre.

Vampire Crawlers attempts to recapture the sensations of playing Vampire Survivors through a turn-based roguelite hybrid of dungeon crawler and deck-builder. The experiment can be considered largely successful, although the game's pacing suffers from a mid-game phase that leans too heavily on grinding, while—as it currently stands—replayability is quite low. In this regard, the situation could improve with the updates that have already been announced; however, the nature of these new additions remains an unknown quantity.

Over-the-top violence? Check. Iconic memes from the original series? Check. A solid battle system that cleverly borrows the best ideas around to deliver something uniquely its own? Double check. Honestly, there are very few reasons not to jump on board.