Albeit some polishing issues and some questionable design choices, Salt and Sanctuary is a nice, bidimensional variation of the "souls-like" formula, with influences from Hidetaka Miyazaki and from the metroidvania genre. If you like a challenging, punishing yet rewarding experience, you should definitely give it a try.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is not a bad game but it is disappointing, a metroidvania all too anchored in the past that doesn't really add anything new to the genre that Koji Igarashi himself contributed. Beyond the bland execution and the continuous plagiarism of Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow, Bloodstained is plagued by too many problems, especially in terms of combat and the hitbox system, preventing an enjoyable gaming experience. It hurts to say this, but there are too many better alternatives to Bloodstained on the market. We expected a lot more than this from Igarashi-san.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a work of great courage and respect for the platform genre. It is not revolutionary but manages to be a simple, but refined pastime made with all the trappings of the genre.

Even if The Last Guardian can sometimes get straight to our hearts, we cannot turn a blind eye to the frustrating gameplay. Its narrative fails to truly immerse the player, as the game mechanics lack to convey emphasis and empathy.

It might seem like a classic case of quantity overshadowing quality, but in reality Samurai Warriors 4 DX is a decent conversion of one of the most popular chapters among Musou fans, enhanced by a hefty dose of DLC. It shows its age in several respects but retains an exciting and entertaining soul, which will finally delight those who have been longing for the game's arrival on PC since 2014.

Persona 3 Portable is an unconvincing conversion of a game that could have expressed more in 2009, constrained then by limitations that current platforms do not have. It remains an important chapter for the saga with a unique aesthetic that serves as a bridge to its origins, but it is a shame that the adaptation was made without the will to dare.

Kirby Robobot relies on creativity and a "think out of the box" philosophy, adorned with jolly and light-hearted aesthetics. Unfortunately, it's almost too easy to complete the game, especially if you played your fair share of platformers. It's a game that will probably appeal the younger (and less experienced) player.

A teen drama adventure with a lot of nostalgia and a good atmosphere, but with a lazy script and boring gameplay.

Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones has an interesting art direction and a good Lovecraftian inspiration, but seems to be split in half between its nice all-around RPG mechanics and a slow and not very engaging turn-based strategic combat.

Ashen is a souls-like game with a particular focus on the co-op multiplayer. Sadly this feature rarely works as intended, but despite its flaws, the game developed by A44 is still an enjoyable variation to the formula created by Miyazaki and From Software.

Fast and furious fights in a cyberpunk world, this time also on a futuristic bike exploring post-apocalyptic lands – who wouldn’t love that? Too bad a few too many puzzle keep the adrenaline rush at bay and distract from the most exciting parts of the game.

The scars of a long and difficult development are clearly visible in the confusing plot and in the poor battle system. The game is spectacular and the open world area is well built, but it's not enough to bring FF XV to the top of JRPGs.

Plagued with technical issues partially resolved patch after patch, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate Daemonhunters has also problems in terms of balancing and AI. The boss fights are well done, but it’s also a little monotonous as you find yourself playing the same dull couple of missions from the start to the very end of the game.

My Friend Pedro is a sequence of short, intense levels which morally oblige the exasperated spectacle, exciting like few other run ‘n’ guns. Then There is a whole outline of apathetic environmental puzzles, bizarre situations and an aesthetic between the chilling and the anonymous.

Despite being designed as a cross-over, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is an enjoyable J-RPG with a steady identity, that could have benefited from a more passionate writing and a less stereotyped cast of characters.

If you look at it from an entertainment and sheer fun point of view, the last installment from the LEGO series by TT Games is probably the best ever made. Unfortunately, this is also one of the sloppiest portings ever seen, full of bugs, crashes and hesitating frame rate. You should wait for a patch, or some summer sale.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons for Nintendo Switch is a decent conversion of a game that may not have aged very well, surpassed on several fronts by many other exponents of the same genre.

Trepang2 does nothing to hide its true nature, which is to be a decent fps, very fun in the shooting phases, but poor in all the rest of the game package.

A fluid and dynamic action-platformer with great potential, flawed by a too rigid structure, limited longevity and some annoying bugs that spoil the experience. A metroidvania with these dynamics could give an eventual sequel the breathing room this project needed.

Dicefolk is a valid alternative in the search for a good roguelike with mechanics linked to dice management that are interesting, but very unbalanced and managed by luck.

The gameplay of this action RPG is very basic, almost oversimplified (it's available for iOS devices as well), but at the end of the day it could be a pretty fun and entertaining experience. The Italian localization is excellent, and it's full of kittens.

Paper Beast is a fascinating migratory tale that highlights the power of collaboration and mutual help. Too bad its distinctive graphic style is brought down by terrible textures and the Sandbox mode is only the shadow of what it could have been.

Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes is a good, deliberately old-fashioned JRPG with all the pros and cons. As a love letter to Suikoden it hits the mark despite some uncertainties, but the biggest problem at the moment are the bugs we encountered during the review, some very serious and impossible to ignore. Wait patiently for the bugfixes.

WRC 8 has to deal with too many compromises, and it comes out smaller than its potential. It is neither insufficient nor broken but seems to evolve too slowly, without clear objectives.

Project Diva X is a good rhythm game, filled with an interesting variety of j-pop music. Unfortunately, the tracklist is limited to 30 songs and the sense of grinding is strong even after a few hours.

Little Nightmares is just blowing smoke. A wonderful and charming smoke, since the mood and the aesthetics are awesome, both for style and inspiration, but the gameplay lacks depth and the game is nothing more than a far-too-simple and linear platformer with some stealth and puzzle elements.

Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is a nice RPG, not too difficult nor too complex. This title has the best alchemy and combat systems in the series, and it's a perfect fit for the newcomers.

No empathy and no rhythm are just two of the issues that prevent Before the Storm to reach our hearts in the same way Life is Strange did, two years ago. Let's wait for Episode 2 and let's hope for a deeper friendship between Rachel and Chloe, disconnected from sexual logic only.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is fun, but it's clearly light-years behind industry standards and what one would expect from the most profitable franchise in video game history. The good ideas are completely drowned out by shoddy graphics and dialogue that still believes children need to be banal and simple, ruining a plot that works at its best and finally gives dignity to the characters and the plot holes that Game Freak missed in the sixth generation.

Shadowkeep is an extremely lazy expansion that offers nothing more than the bare minimum of content. Some new sets of armor, a few additional weapons, several exotic and a pleasant additional endgame activity are of little use when everything else is in fact recycled from the past incarnations of the franchise. Let’s hope Bungie will somehow counterbalance the scarcity of present contents in the next season.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is a pretty basic horror title, with a creepy and disturbing atmosphere, and an interesting bestiary. The game is not too difficult, the super-deformed art direction is a little bit anticlimactic, but overall it's a good scary ride.

There’s a lot of content here, but the many technical issues, the poor balancing between the twelve factions, and the many feature missing from its direct predecessor make Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 an underwhelming experience.

The story is splendid and so is the music, photography is always on point... but on the technical side we’re far from the sufficience. Despite all the flaws, I have become attached to Sean and Daniel and I want to "help" them reach the Mexican border.

There's no denying that Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a fighting game with a lot of content, charismatic characters, and tons of special moves and skills. The main problem here is that it's basically a sloppy porting of the original PS Vita version, sealed and delivered as quickly as possible, to benefit from the recent announcement of Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite.

Before the Storm shouldn't have been done. It doesn't add anything to the original work from DONTNOD, to the point where sometimes it seems just another game with the same characters, and a much less inspired soundtrack.

Compared to the first release of The Elder Scrolls Online, Morrowind is far more balanced, the overall quality has improved and it has the right amount of nostalgia. Probably not the best MMO around, but if you ever wanted to give it a try, now is the right moment.

When it works, Darksiders Genesis is quite fun and entertaining. Unfortunately the game is plagued by many technical issues and some very questionable design choices that prevent to guarantee an enjoyable experience from start to finish.

20XX is a roguelite shamelessly inspired by Mega Man, with a strong RPG component that makes it enjoyable and cleverly challenging. Unfortunately, the game also shows strong weaknesses, including predictable bosses and a technically unstable multiplayer.

Virtua Fighter is still a great game, no doubt about it. And Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown fully re-proposes the old-but-gold original combat system, enhanced by a Training mode that explains in depth everything there is to know about it. What’s inexplicable in this operation is the poor care paid to the multiplayer, penalized by an old and poorly performing netcode, which heavily limits a game designed to be SEGA’s first step towards esports.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is a 25 years old role-playing game that was never released in Europe. While this remastered doesn’t do much in terms of graphics, it adds a fair amount of content that will certainly make it intriguing for returning players. Novices, on the other hand, might have a harder time adapting to some of its more dated mechanics.

As Dusk Falls is a mixed bag. The story, while certainly not out of this world, provides good characters and a fair amount of drama, but the peculiar art style doesn’t always succeed in conveying the right emotion. The voice-over, and especially the Italian dubbing, also occasionally suffers from the same issue. The multiplayer mode does make the game more engaging, but it’s still an experience with very little interaction. Enjoyment might vary wildly depending on your tastes.

Trials of Mana is a lacklustre remake of a masterpiece from another era. It's nothing special, but old-fashioned JRPG fans might appreciate it if you turn a blind eye.

A cozy and mildly paced RPG. Bandle Tale enters the world of League of Legends from the farthest corner of Runeterra and offers "Stardew Valley-style" gameplay based on the use of bizarre machines, sewing skills, gardening and cooking talents. A simple but charming adventure, suitable for all ages and featuring delightful pixel-art.

On the golf course, PGA Tour 2K21 is a fairly fun game. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the game modes. The career is way too simple, and even the online does not offer anything exciting. Graphics and sounds are decent, but could be vastly improved.

Secret World Legends simplifies and makes more accessible one of the most intriguing and captivating online worlds ever created. Unfortunately, graphics feel pretty old (which they are), and Funcom never managed to find a good balance between a story-driven experience and the MMO gameplay dynamics. Anyway, a good online action RPG that can be enjoyed with some friends.

Weird West has a fun and engaging sandbox structure and is narratively solid, but it is also unfortunately marred by technical and gameplay issues.

A solid dungeon crawler, affected by some technical issues and a tasteless plot.

void tRrLM();++ //Void Terrarium++ features everything we are used to see in modern Roguelike games: dungeon crawling, crafting with materials and blueprints, turn-based combat, character skill tree and a story which takes shape one run after another. It's also easy to pick up and it takes quite a while to be completed. The issue is that Void Terrarium doesn't shine in any particular aspect, and given the recent flooding of roguelikes, it doesn’t stand out from the crowd. Only recommended if you desperately need to play another roguelike.

Spiritual successor of the good old Rampage, Terror of Hemasaurus delivers a funny (but short) experience of total arcade carnage and destruction, with a charming pixel-art and hilarious story.

One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 is mainly dedicated to the fans of the saga, including those of the "dynasty warriors-like" games. From this point of view it turns out as a fun, long-lived and complete offer, unfortunately not so strong in the technical porting.

Brave New World keeps on telling the events "before the storm" on Arcadia Bay in a puerile way, exceeding in talking about drugs and homosexuality without going deep in the facts. Let's hope for a change in the next, last episode of the series.

Future Unfolding is a game of love and hate. It could be an interesting concept to explore if you like experimental game design and unique experiences, but at its core, more than once the gameplay mechanics simply don't work.

Between a visual novel and a strategic game, Utawarerumono: prelude to the Fallen crosses the boundaries of the oriental market to capture the hearts of western players with a well packed game.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is a successful and must-have Japanese RPG for Adol fans, but it's not the decisive step forward that a legendary series like Ys deserves. The Switch version is plagued by too many technical uncertainties.

The Rise of the Necromancer is a good offering, dedicated to real, hardcore fans of Diablo III: if after five years you still love slaying demons in Tristram, for a fair price you'll find hours of fun and some new stuff.

A "cozy game" in the wake of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and other similar games. Phoenix Labs has drawn heavily from the inevitable sources of inspiration and created an all in all enjoyable and relaxing sim-farm that unfortunately, however, does not sufficiently deepen its fantasy and adventure soul.

The Last Worker is as much a satire of the work environment in this phase of capitalism as it is of those video games that seem to be more about work than fun. Overall, this is an interesting and artistically sound production that lacks something to leaves its mark.

Kong Survivor Instinct is an extremely simple metroidvania, but functional in its nature. It lacks structure in the narrative sector, decidedly over the top, as in the depth of the level design, but overall it turns out to be a good job.

The Persistence is still a good roguelite, but it is impossible to ignore to the absence of a fundamental element such as virtual reality in the new versions of the game.

Absolver offers a truly unique take on the combat genre, with a peculiar mix between single and multiplayer. Technically solid and visually inspired, it suffers from a sometimes confused level design and the absence of a real, high-level endgame.

Regardless of the strengths and weaknesses listed in the review, Styx: Blades of Greed is a classic video game that reveals its true colors and uses all its gameplay in the very first hours, only to then become bogged down in chronic repetitive gameplay, remaining unchanged until the end credits. The inspired level design and clever use of the lighting system are some of the game's redeeming features, but it's truly difficult to overlook the enemy AI's structural flaws and generally low difficulty.

There's no dancing around the fact that Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is a disappointment. Despite a pleasant art direction and a good representation of the digital monsters, the gameplay is unbalanced, the challenge for the player is basically non-existent, and the storyline is too verbose and full of clichés.

The Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack collects three chapters of the Atelier series released between 2016 and 2018. It also includes all DLCs and some additional content, making it a good choice for people who would like an introduction to the series – but if you come from the recent Ryza games, keep in mind that the Mysterious Trilogy is not as detailed or refined. Finally, the price point seems pretty steep, especially on PC.

Atelier Sophie represents a new identity for the series. A self-pilot episode, that tries to capture the interest of a new fanbase. Good, but we would have preferred a more challenging game.

Eternights, an indie game inspired by Persona, blends RPG progression with hack 'n' slash action. While combat lacks depth, the game shines in character development and storytelling. Its teenage-oriented tone may not appeal to everyone, but it offers a unique mix of romance and supernatural intrigue.

The Last Hero of Nostalgaia is the Dark-Soulest of all Soulslikes. The idea of using lore as a game mechanic is interesting, but in the end maybe too easily applied on the experience. Overall Nostalgaia is a Dark Souls child with no regrets about it, but with some over-simplification and some battle-related issues.

Mask of Truth is a talkative interactive visual novel, with some bland tactical battles that break sometimes the flow of the story. If you are not scared by such a river of words, you could find in this new Utawarerumono enough reasons to reach the end. Otherwise, Fire Emblem and Disgaea are still out there, waiting for you.

Scintillatron 4096 seems to have come straight out of an elucubration by Jeff Minter, and this is perhaps the best compliment that I can make. Frantic and fun, at times frustrating, but also endowed with an unexpected strategic depth, this game seems to have come here directly from an arcade of the 80s.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew has solid gameplay and offers plenty of variety, thanks to the availability of two ships, two game modes and four very different roles. Trekkies will love it from start to finish, but there's no denying that it could have been better, especially from a graphical standpoint.

Yomawari is imbued with a unique atmosphere, but it is too easy and repetitive to keep your attention for more than a couple of evenings.

Assigning a bad rating to Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. is a dirty job, but someone had to do it. Reduced to the bone content and one of the most feeble rollbacks I've ever seen condemn to insufficiency an extraordinary but outdated game, unable in its current state to offer an online infrastructure that guarantees the development of a healthy community. We hope that the new chapter in such a prestigious series will not suffer from such neglect.

The success of a Total War depends on the delicate balance between the turn-based portion of the game and the real-time strategic battles. While the latter are deep and with very few smudges, the former is extremely unbalanced and presents a series of issues – in some cases quite serious – that undermine the whole experience.

The Flame in the Flood is a strange survival rogue-lite. Despite an interesting setting and a charming OST, the game lacks in offering a balanced gameplay, mostly because of the high incidence of random events.

A puzzle game concealed inside a god game, with good ideas, though repetitive, and with an awkward control system via joypad.

If like me you really have a hard time saying no to a soulslike, and you are out of candidates, and the idea of ​​playing with an attractive maiden is a bit unnerving, your best option is to take another look at Elden Ring and look for some templates for the character editor. But if the Interregnum has really really bored you, then I guess AI Limit is not the worst choice you can make, just don't expect a memorable experience.

An ‘on the road’ adventure to rediscover the sense of belonging to a community, of living to share. Some will criticise Caravan SandWitch for the simplicity of its gameplay, the lack of a real challenge and some minor technical issues. It is legitimate, as long as you don't lose sight of its story and what lies behind it, because this is the element that elevates the game above the crowd of mediocrity.

Unfinished Business is not a disaster, but neither is it something that will stick in the memory of RoboCop fans. It's a conservative expansion, merely replicating on a smaller scale what worked in the base game, but without adding enough personality to make it an essential purchase. The feel is still the right one thanks to exhilarating action sequences and - why not? - to a few moments of genuine videogame ingenuity, but the flat pace, repetitiveness and bland setting soon dampen enthusiasm. It will please those who want to make the trusty Auto-9 sing one last time, but those hoping for truly meaningful content would do well to lower their expectations.

Another Anniversary Collection which, like the Arcade one released a short time ago, leaves a bitter taste for the choices made by Konami in both quantitative and qualitative terms.

Emio - the Smiling Man has a good story to tell, held hostage by mechanics from the early days of Japanese interactive fiction that refuse to give way to fresher, more current game design ideas. It's a bit of a trial-and-error fairground and excessive verbiage, but if that doesn't scare you off (there's a demo to try out that might suit you) you'll be rewarded with an investigative tale of unquestionable value.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles brings on Switch the same flavor we savored at the end of 2021, bringing to the table the free updates released on the other platforms, and the promise of new playable characters coming in the future. The portable experience is surprisingly faithful to the home console one, but some extent of exclusive content or at least an updated story mode would have turned a simple “switch port” into a much more welcomed return.

Void Terrarium 2 with a well-designed dungeon crawler section could have been a great game. Unfortunately, the roguelike is far too simple and the new features added to the first chapter are really few, and mostly concentrated in crafting, making the gap with the rest of the game even clearer: you will really have to love Toriko like a daughter in order not to give too much weight to the shortcomings of everything that is not found inside the Terrarium.

Dragon is Dead is a solid, challenging, and technically well-crafted action roguelite. The combat system is responsive and rewarding, with wide room for customization thanks to an articulate skill tree and elemental builds that reward experimentation. Persistent progression between runs encourages you to improve, while well-characterized bosses offer intense challenges. However, those hoping for complex levels or deep exploration may be disappointed: maps are simple, repetitive, and structured as arenas, more functional interludes than true worlds to discover.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition is an extremely disappointing “definitive” collection: a superficial remaster that doesn’t do justice to the historic first chapter of the RTS saga. The four included titles remain solid in terms of content and replayability, but the remastering work is minimal and incomplete. Given the high price, the remastering feels sloppy and unjustified. Yet another wasted opportunity for Relic Entertainment.

Where the Water Tastes like Wine is an amazing piece of storytelling caged in an unwieldy game structure. The journey through the States is a charming trip about the importance of the stories we share everyday and a great portrait of America form many point of views. On the long run, unfortunately, the lacklustre gameplay simply fails to sustain the sense of wandering and discovery of such an amazing journey.

Kaku: Ancient Seal is sub-par in every aspect of the action-adventure genre. Stay clear.

Despite a bunch of interesting ideas, Phoenix Point rarely offers a viable alternative to the many other games of the same genre. Greatly unbalanced, unpolished and poorly optimized, the game by the creator of the X-Com series is but a shadow of Gollop’s past.

A faithful and visually stunning adaptation of Demon Slayer’s latest arcs, but limited content, minor gameplay tweaks, and weak online support make it feel more like an expansion than a true sequel.

White Shadows does nothing to hide his sources of inspiration: Limbo and Inside. A dark and obscure location is the right place to set a dystopian, anthropomorphic future story which can be read as a hermetic social metaphor. Though fascinating, White Shadows does too little to explain to the players where they are or what exactly it is that they’re doing, and its very simple mechanics don’t help. At the same time though, you often feel like you just can’t leave, like when watching a Lynch movie.

Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada is not the best musou ever created, but if you're looking for something simple and fun, this new offering from Koei Tecmo might be a good choice. Unless, of course, you have a peculiar dislike for the genre.

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.

The more I played Romeo is a Dead Man, the more I realized I was in the presence of the quintessential decent video game, nothing more. The game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture is a formally correct action game, without any particular or obvious flaws, but also lacking in interesting sparks and ideas. Beyond the crazy style typical of Suda51's works, what remains is an "old school" video game that can entertain fans of the genre for about fifteen hours, but never truly excels. It's a shame about the optimization, or rather, the lack thereof.

TT Isle of Man: Ride on the edge 2 does not know whether to be a simulation or an arcade, becoming an enjoyable, exciting and fast racing without being as memorable as the race it is inspired by.

A.O.T.: Wings of Freedom raises the bar for the musou genre developed by Omega Force and Koei Tecmo. The game is interesting, albeit with some flaws, and has a unique identity that can be appreciated even if you're not a fan of the anime.

An horror adventure with a strong 'Carpenterian' flavour that delivers some interesting ideas and awakens ancestral fears, but in the end leaves the taste of a missed opportunity. An excessively linear gameplay, limited longevity and some technical issues prevent it from reaching the level of The Chinese Room's best productions.

Contra Anniversary Collection offers a series of run and guns of undisputed historical value in a package that honestly could have offered so much more. Contra III: The Alien War and Hard Corps remain as beautiful as the sun, and the two arcade games still offer a steep but extremely rewarding challenge, however the superfluous presence of the Probotectors can only appear as a waste of space in the eyes of the true fans.

Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle is basically a GOTY Edition of the game published a year ago, now with a couple a new modes and weapons.

Relicta is an intriguing puzzle-game, full of puzzles ready to squeeze our meninges without the slightest regret. The level design proves to be up to a production on the genre, although some bugs and inaccuracies end up not making it shine as it should.

John Wick Hex is a game made for the franchise lovers. Since this is a minor production, there are pros and cons: there are indeed good gameplay and a good idea, but also a lack of progression and a feeling of repetition that makes you lose a little the desire to continue further.