While We Wait Here tells a very pleasant story. Despite the absence of a trial and error that I would have found very apt within the title, the parts dedicated to the preparation of dishes are also well integrated. The absolute pro goes to dubbing and atmospheres. I've always dreamed of making puncakes while the world is disintegrating out there.

9th Dawn Remake is an action RPG with very simple gameplay, in which all you have to do is move and click, that manages to offer great complexity thanks to the huge choice of weapons, builds, and companions ready to help us out in battle. Dungeon crawlers lowers will find everything they want, from secret passages to hidden treasure chests, scattered along a vast and pleasant world to visit with various side quests. The Vampire Survivors-style fishing is a nice little touch, and the whole production drips love from every pixel. Too bad most of the monsters are quite anonymous, bosses included.

Providing an environment where you can shoot dozens, hundreds of enemies with glee is one of the most surefire ways in which you can keep gamers entertained. However, that’s also all that Viscera has going for it – weapons are shoddily balanced, the graphics are chaotic and messy, and the game’s poorly optimized. Still moderately fun, but not the kind of game you’d enthusiastically recommend.

Killing Time: Resurrected is the perfect combination of exploration and the latest shooting. Nightdive Studios has been able once again to improve a video game and make it enhanced, modernizing some things on the gunplay side and offering animations that are really beautiful to look at. It could really be much more than a classic moment to enjoy a work from the past.

The so-called Remastered versions of Warcraft I and II show the least possible effort to bring back two of the most important legends of the Blizzard catalogue. Such a lazy and lacklustre result would have made sense had it been given to fans to celebrate Warcraft's 30th anniversary, but as it stands, it joins Warcraft III: Reforged in the ranks of mediocre products that, until a few years ago, we would never have expected from such a legendary developer. Thrall does not approve.

The so-called Remastered versions of Warcraft I and II show the least possible effort to bring back two of the most important legends of the Blizzard catalogue. Such a lazy and lacklustre result would have made sense had it been given to fans to celebrate Warcraft's 30th anniversary, but as it stands, it joins Warcraft III: Reforged in the ranks of mediocre products that, until a few years ago, we would never have expected from such a legendary developer. Thrall does not approve.

A bit Duke Nukem without the Duke and a bit bit Bulletstorm with some reminiscence à la Anger Foot, 420Blaze It 2 is an engaging and lively FPS, powerful both in exposure and in their never tiring content. It is a work that, very capable of surprising and bewitching the player with borderline situations, manages to speak well to the hearts of fans.

The Stone of Madness is a stealth adventure set in an 18th-century monastery-psychiatric hospital. Players lead a group of troubled characters, each with unique abilities and phobias that affect gameplay. The Commandos-like approach requires cunning to overcome guards and obstacles by capitalizing on cooperation among team members. The beautifully reconstructed monastery oozes Gothic eeriness, while the plot explores the cruelty of religious institutions of the time. Despite a few technical flaws, the game offers a compelling experience for fans of the genre, who have been on a diet lately; almost starving I would say.

Underward is a first-person cooperative horror game in which players explore an abandoned hospital, retrieving cryogenic cylinders while escaping mutant creatures. The game requires stealth skills to move in the dark and in silence without alerting the monsters. The graphics, inspired by found footage, amplify the claustrophobic atmosphere. Multiplayer allows play for up to four people, but single player is more complex and punishing. Despite repetitive environments and some design limitations, the experience is engaging, especially for horror fans.

Viscerafest is a frantic boomer shooter set in a retro sci-fi universe painted with big pixels with a neon palette reminiscent of the vicious color schemes of the 1980s. The mercenary protagonist is a love letter to Duke Nukem, engaging in ultra-violent shooting and impossible jumps along labyrinthine levels overflowing with aliens and bosses to be riddled with bullets until they turn to pulp. The option of collecting skulls to use as currency at stores to buy cheats invites replaying maps already completed in search of secret areas or simply for revenge once you get stronger.

The peculiar gameplay of Into The Restless Ruins combines familiar but only seemingly incompatible game elements. Dungeon crawling, deck-building and roguelike blend to perfection in Ant Workshop's title, which rewards skill as much as daring and curiosity. Longevity is not its strong suit, but the experience is undoubtedly worth it.

A fishing-themed adventure with RPG elements that brings the characters of a web-com that has become very popular worldwide to PC and consoles. The fishing mechanics are unexpectedly funny and a few small variations on the basic theme manage to keep a gameplay full of humour gags inspired by video game stereotypes, which nevertheless suffers from a certain repetitiveness in the long run.

SCUM is an extremely technical sandbox survival game, focused on a detailed simulation of the human body and resource management. Set in a huge map, it offers advanced metabolism, thermoregulation and nutrition systems, which directly influence the character's performance and abilities. The gameplay alternates exploration, crafting, management of vital parameters and combat, both PvE and PvP. The learning curve is steep and the interface is not always intuitive, but the approach is unique in the survival panorama, offering a deep and punishing experience for the most demanding players.

Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 is the tangible explanation of why indie is beautiful, as well as being the confirmation that Toby Fox knows how to reinvent the 2D RPG with intelligence and irony like no other. A simply unmissable work, if you consider yourself a gamer.

Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 is the tangible explanation of why indie is beautiful, as well as being the confirmation that Toby Fox knows how to reinvent the 2D RPG with intelligence and irony like no other. A simply unmissable work, if you consider yourself a gamer.

Becoming Saint is a bold, strategic management game that offers something different in the roguelike landscape with a refined approach. However, it's also a work marked by several more or less obvious flaws, which give it a rough and tumble appearance that clashes with the elegance of its artistic direction.

BOULDER DASH 40th Anniversary revives the 1984 classic with over two hundred levels, including the original sixty from the first three chapters, introducing new gameplay elements such as enemy generators and acid pools, plus an intuitive editor. The fast pace and scoring system reward reflexes and precision, while the variety of content ensures longevity. Among its strengths are the solid gameplay and Chris Hülsbeck's soundtrack. Less convincing is the graphic style, which is uninspired and too reminiscent of hyper-casual mobile games. A successful tribute, despite the occasional lapses into laziness.

Gatekeeper is an isometric roguelike that focuses on straightforwardness: no complex hubs, just choose a character and get started. Missions alternate between simple objectives such as escort, resistance, and activation, and spectacular, well-constructed boss fights. The power-up system is effective, with 10% bonuses that are cumulative and immediately noticeable. However, the progression system is immature: perks are unlocked with a slow “point collection” that does not enhance the character but only the assortment in the shops, and abandonment due to excessive grinding could come very soon.

More than a remake, Project-X Light Years is the modern sequel to a great classic that made history and, in addition to being one of the best 'reboots' ever seen for IPs of the past, it is also one of the best side-scrolling shmups released in recent months, competing with Yuzo Koshiro's Earthion for my very own award for the most interesting of the season. Proof, if there was still any need, that we Westerners are also very capable of making excellent games of the genre, even if we don't speak Japanese.

Super Robot Wars Y is an ode to nostalgia and a passion for Japanese robots: every animated sequence, every opening credit, every battle is a small celebration of the cartoons that shaped our childhoods. The roster combines old and new series to please fans of all ages, while the overly simple strategic action almost becomes a pause between one breathtaking sequence and the next. Here too, the series shows the weight of tradition: few innovations, long dialogues, and a conservative approach that limits risk and surprise, keeping it prisoner to its formula. You have to know what you're getting into. Those who love Japanese robots and jump out of their seats at the sight of Tetsuya incinerating assorted monsters with gamma rays, screaming like a maniac, will find this an almost essential experience. Those who know the series inside out and are looking for freshness and boldness will inevitably be disappointed.

Featuring a relaxed and accessible gameplay, Hammer & Ravens' Ale Abbey stands out for its serene atmosphere and the care and detail in translating the artisanal brewing process. The charming fermenters, the variety of ingredients, and the ability to customize the monastery make the experience engaging and soothing, despite a certain underlying repetitiveness.

At its core, Sworn isn't bad and has all the makings of a fun game to keep you entertained for several hours. Beyond that, however, it stops offering any real enjoyment or gameplay depth. Compared to other behemoths, it's the one that sits closest to its comfort zone, also benefiting from a co-op system for up to four players that could make the difference. Varied in the progression of the four heroes, the biggest obstacle is the pace of the game, which alternates between really slow and fast moments, where, however, the slow pace of our heroes never manages to respond to the game world with any real responsiveness. It takes a bit of practice, at least in the first few hours, which feature a rather steep difficulty curve.

Necesse is fun little survival with light management mechanics: by starting a settlement we can invite NPCs to join it and delegate to them trivial tasks like cutting trees or gathering produce, while we dig through underground caves and fight huge bosses.

Misery isn't a title for everyone, nor for those who love single-player adventures - it needs co-op to show off its true worth - but for those who embrace its pace and constant melancholy, it can prove to be a surprisingly sincere experience.

Of Lies and Rain demonstrates how a small studio can interpret VR with personality, making you wonder what Castello Inc. could do with a different budget. It's an immersive adventure that thrives on gestures and sensations rather than statistics, and it restores to VR the physicality too often sacrificed for comfort. It's not a perfect game, especially from a technical standpoint, but it's authentic to the core and thrills: in a market where special effects are often emphasized over substance, this is more than enough to recommend it without hesitation to anyone with a headset.

Terrifier: The ARTcade Game is a side-scrolling beat 'em up inspired by the Double Dragon arcade cabinet, featuring four playable characters from Damien Leone's horror franchise. It offers good pixel art, a chiptune soundtrack, convincing CRT/VHS filters, and six modes, including Arcade, Story, and Boss Rush. The combat system is basic, based on two attacks and a special move, with gory finishers and collectible weapons. However, imprecise hitboxes, chaotic priorities, and broken pacing detract from the experience, making the title appealing only to the most die-hard fans.

Using a font similar to Times New Roman for almost the entire interface isn't a great idea; I understand the intention to reference Stranger Things here as well, but, well, it looks a bit like a poorly printed business card. However, it immediately gives an idea of ​​what the whole game will be like: no frills, focused on the essentials, but capable of doing its job very well. In fact, there are no flaws in the execution, everything works wonderfully, and there are a lot of quests to complete, many people to talk to, and countless monsters to kill. The problem, if anything, is managing to maintain the momentum and interest throughout the game, and this essentially depends on your affinity with the genre. A pleasant indie title, which perhaps requires some minor tweaks here and there, but which is worth the price at which it is sold.

Bogos Binted? is a wacky party game based on card games between lazy aliens, where each turn players contribute to a shared sum without exceeding a random target number. Whoever goes over the limit activates a compressor connected to their skull, often with fatal consequences. The gameplay is immediate, just the right amount of mean, and supported by special cards capable of turning the tables at the last second. The bizarre look and super-budget price work in its favor, but the fact that only one of the four planned modes is present in the final release is a significant drawback. Without rankings, tournaments, or leaderboards, interest quickly wanes if you're not playing with friends. Fun, but still incomplete.