It took almost twenty years, but finally Planescape: Torment has a worthy successor. Torment: Tides of Numenera has a distinct and unique personality, thanks to a ruleset created by Monte Cook, the story written by the amazing trio McComb-Fargo-Avellone, and an incredible freedom to approach the game. If you have even a small amount of love for CRPGs, this is the game you don't want to miss this year.

One of the best flipper simulations ever finally come to PC VR and it’s as good as the original experience. Also, can someone somehow build a fan cave in my house please?

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a very bold game that manages to talk about mental issues in a truly emotional way, using the gameplay dynamics of an action adventure. It’s an authentic manifesto of how videogames can deal with serious matters in a way that fits perfectly the medium. And if you’ll decide to go along with Senua in her descent to darkness, you’ll probably remember her for the rest of your life.

The new botanic videogame from Popcap is a big "more of the same", seeded with enough innovations to make it blossom. A lot of multiplayer modes, a brand new single player mode, a lot of new classes and well-designed maps will keep you busy and entertained for a long time.

Killing Harmony is the best Danganronpa ever made. The developers fixed most of the issues of the previous chapters, adding a lot of new stuff, making the game even more fun and enjoyable. The Board Game and RPG modes are simply great, and together with the new School mode offer a huge endgame. A must have for all the fans of the series, and the perfect starting point for newcomers.

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 worthy spiritual sequel to Strange Horticulture, in Strange Antiquities we run an esoteric shop as an apprentice thaumaturge. Customers arrive with vague requests, and it's up to us to identify the correct object among relics and amulets. Gameplay revolves around observation and deduction, analyzing objects, exploring maps, interpreting symbols, and consulting manuals for clues. Progression intertwines complex puzzles and narrative choices, influencing events and endings. Challenging puzzles, a relaxed pace, and a dark atmosphere define the experience.

Live A Live tries to do many things, but not all of them live up to the same standard. The overall narrative is satisfying, but the stylistic discrepancy between its various adventures, combined with a certain underlying simplicity, makes the game a short adventure lacking depth, but admittedly exciting when it gets into the right gear.

Much more than a simple remaster, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga brings all the freshness of the first episode of the series, imbued with a lot of new stuff that adds content without denaturalizing the DNA of the game. Well done, Nintendo.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is a well-written and content-rich RPG that pays the discount of a technical profile that is anything but up to date. An unmissable appointment for enthusiasts, but perhaps we should advise newbies to start from the previous chapter.

TrackMania Turbo runs faster than ever, in the best iteration of the series. The cliche "Easy to pick up, hard to master" never made more sense: incredibly fun, challenging and addictive, the only reason you should avoid it is if you really hate racing games.

Teslagrad is an excellent platform inspired by the classics of the metroidvania genre, with focus on exploration and puzzles. There are some minor shortcomings, such as some uninspired boss fights, but the title from Rain Games is still a worthy addition to the rich roster of indie games on Switch.

The Sims 4 Discover University involves you to play and play again with your Sims, without ever getting bored. The many elements introduced, from PHD to careers, passing through most goliardic events, are able to create a self-contained chapter in the life of our Sims, clearly satisfying the most fierce fans of the franchise. Cosmetic elements are not so many, but careers and PHD offer a proper entertainment, creating a great play experience, similar to the old expansions.

Tokyo Mirage Session #FE Encore remains one of the best JRPGs of the last generation, but the improvements introduced in this edition are not enough to recommend a new purchase to those who already own the WiiU version.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a diamond in the rough, equipped with a limited number of colossal opponents and various choices and concessions that contribute to making the challenge and long-term interest less rewarding. If you are passionate (or even just interested) in the universe created by Cygames, it is likely, however, that the rich and charismatic cast of playable characters may make you turn a blind eye. Definitely a game made for fans.

Haste: Broken Worlds is the answer to the question "what would happen if Sonic the Hedgehog had sex with Tiny Wings"? And the answer is a must play arcade/roguelike game.

Swamps of Corsus is an excellent excuse to keep exploring the fascinating universe of Remnant: From the Ashes. The new marsh area is quite elaborate, while the additional enemies are well thought out. What is less convincing, however, is the Survival mode. In this case too the new mode is certainly welcome, but being completely disconnected from the campaign, it does not make much sense within the overall experience, and that’s because the cosmetic rewards are almost negligible.

The new Deus Ex: Mankind Divided DLC offers a nice, challenging experience for the player, thanks to a rich and complex new mission, a hefty level design (whereas the prison setting fits perfectly) and a lot of choices that favour the stealth gameplay.

With its pros and its cons deliberately left mostly as sharp as they were, confirming itself as one of a kind not only for the nostalgia effect on which the Vicarious Visions have focused, Diablo 2: Resurrected has thrown the Blizzard masterpiece twenty-one years forward with a crazy care. It was not and is not a game for everyone, but what a pleasure to deal with the Devil again.

After almost ten years, Grand Theft Auto V begins to show its age. It’s a remarkable video game though, but three new visual modes can’t hide the fact that some of its game systems are beginning to feel antiquated. Still, this next-gen version is obviously the best way to play GTA 5 and GTA Online.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order hits the target by offering the right mix of adrenaline-pumping action and thoughtful exploration. The metroidvania mechanics are grafted to perfection within the game formula, and the same can be said for those borrowed from the latest productions of From Software. Without introducing anything really new, Respawn Entertainment manages to merge all these elements and give birth to a fascinating and satisfying experience, as well as being consistent with the Star Wars ecosystem (much more so than the latest movies).

Walking through the southern lands of Elsweyr turned out to be a pleasant experience, even if the journey lasted only four or five hours and, in some passages, it started to become a little bit tiring.

Despite exasperating a few problems from the original version, Hunt: Showdown on console is still an experience worth living. Some graphic and audio limits on a normal PS4 and the 30 fps locked frame rate are not enough to ruin a truly unique gaming experience; it is still easy to recommend the title to anyone who is even minimally interested in a less chaotic and more strategic horror shooter.

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.

Nocturnal is a characteristic and original videogame which, however, does not innovate the videogame panorama, while proposing an interesting and satisfying context. The playful structure, pleasant and extremely well integrated, could entertain for a few hours. A work to have if you love the genre and if you are curious about it.

Perfection is not stationed in Tahnra yet, but despite this, Symphony of War is still a strong and compelling turn-based strategy thanks to the amazing mix of simplicity and depth of its mechanics.