Not so much a game as it is an anime-moe graphics benchmarking tool, Time Leap Paradise SUPER LIVE is sure to kill some time through cute songs and dances. Unless you shell out for the extra DLC, SUPER LIVE by itself is not unlike a barebones freemium app.

Fatally flawed with bugs, soft locks, and incomplete map generation, Deep Sky Derelicts is a fun game when it works. More often than not, however, it doesn’t work.

Niche – a genetics survival game is a species sim with roguelike progression, played in turns on a hex grid. It includes enough novelty to charm fans still searching for the children of Creatures or Spore, but gambles with repetitive and predictable gameplay. It's as likely to frustrate you as it is to relax you, and small annoyances tip the scale in favor of the prior. Approach with reasonable expectations about its depth and variety, and you'll raise your chances of garnering an enjoyable experience.

Numantia’s storytelling might entertain lovers of history, but turn-based combat enthusiasts are disappointed in battles that fail to spark a desire to thwart the enemy. An indiscreet console port with clunky controls and bloated, low-quality graphics, Numantia could please genre noobs, but there are better turn-based combat titles for seasoned players to relish.

While it delivers a strong start, Call of Cthulhu starts to stumble and fall near the end, demonstrating a lack of polish and poor localization.

Ice Caves of Europa is a challenging exploration simulator that may be more tedious to learn than the average gamer will have the patience for. Still, there are moments of humor and a chilling, unique story that makes you feel like the isolated exploration bot you are.

While the last entry in the Bendy and the Ink Machine series feels similar to the previous chapters, it fails to provide a satisfying ending.

Despite stunning art and cinematography, Stela is ultimately held back by its brevity and oblique storytelling.

Super Rad Raygun has many things and is a great reminder of the old days, for those old enough to have had a Nintendo Gameboy during the 90’s. Slick retro style. Easy mechanics. Great references, if you're capable of picking them up, and a nice soundtrack. Expect mix ups with downloads, which would probably be fixed in a future update.

While the main character may have justification for his anger, his response is excessive, bordering on insane. It’s difficult to relate to him, and it makes participating in his revenge quest uncomfortable rather than satisfying.

After the finale, I was left wanting more, but unfortunately not in a good way. I wasn’t eager for a sequel; instead, I felt like I got an incomplete glimpse into Sarah’s narrative, and just a tiny piece of what could be a huge, intriguing plot.

The campaigns provide plenty of content, but repetition and micromanagement hinder the fun by making you feel like you’re fighting the same strategies every battle.

A title that appears to have been a labor of love, but also and unfortunately, that fails to be anything more than that. For fans of visual novels, dating simulations, and dragons mixed with sexuality, crime, and suicidal tendencies, Angels with Scaly Wings might serve to impress you, but if these aren’t a draw, then pass. Art, animation, and music leave something to be desired, and puzzles, mystery and storyline are only interesting because you’re dating… Well… Dragons.

While interesting in theory, a clunky interface and lack of immersive elements keeps Radio General from realizing its full potential.

MXGP PRO doesn’t do much of anything to differentiate itself from other entries in the genre, and it fails to deliver a satisfying feel to its players.

A difficult survival game with some interesting elements that is significantly hindered by tedious mechanics and a superficial world.

Educating the public about mental illness is important, but a problem inherent in accurately portraying depression is that, well, it isn't fun to be depressed. Indygo skillfully builds a gloomy atmosphere: The voice acting, music, black and white art style, and narrative all work together to convey the disconnection and emptiness a person suffering from depression can feel. You may come away with a better understanding of depression by playing, but if you're looking for entertainment along with your education, you will be disappointed.

A superbly polished visual feast as well as a jumpscare-laden walking simulator that takes a few steps back as a sequel, rather than forward.

This title has an intriguing story, gorgeous scenery, and great ambience, but is hindered by buggy sound design, awkward animations, and frustrating and confusing gameplay.

A fresh coat of paint, while aesthetically pleasing, cannot hide the tone-deaf, greedy tactics behind this mess of a remake.

A resource management game that’s easy to pick up and doesn’t take a lot of thought to play, but unfortunately lacks depth and becomes stale after a minimal amount of time spent with it.

With so many strategy games to choose from, Realpolitiks ultimately fails to stand out. While its variety in features and missions is welcomed, it also forces errands few will enjoy; they make it difficult to stay in control, these arbitrary tasks impeding if not outright discarding a player's grand approach.

God's Trigger has its heart in the right place, but falls short in execution.

An interesting tale with engaging exploration and great environment design that is hindered by bugs and a lack of payoff.

Cannibal Cuisine has great bone structure, but could use more meat. With original characters and new theming, it offers a new twist on the classic delivery game, but suffers from co-op bugs, difficulty imbalances, and physics issues.

If you’re looking for crazy flashy combos and special moves, Absolver isn’t the title for you. Good times are few and far in between, because of repetitious fights and long periods of grinding out moves and experience. Glitches are also numerous, although Sloclap is aware of these problems and is releasing patches to help eliminate them, while also adding new features. While a fighting game, Absolver is a far cry from the likes of Street Fighter, TEKKEN, or Injustice.

Given the current state of the stat system, there is a definite need for some tweaking; and this is desperately needed in light of Chaos Drift’s description on Steam, which specifically mentions this customizable stat system. This feature drew me in, but high expectation quickly gave way to disappointment as my head began to spin, trying to make sense of what was going on with the incorrigible stat system. Until this is fixed, especially given the fact that it is such an integral part of a typical RPG, I cannot recommend this game with good faith.

Immortal: Unchained pushes you into a hardcore RPG universe full of magazine-fed weapons and ancient battle axes, but doesn’t quite hit the target with its rough edges and choppy AI.

A refreshing addition to the series, with beautiful graphics and excellent combat, yet plagued with microtransactions that force you to choose between grinding or paying, as well as lackluster RNG systems.

Good graphics can’t redeem some of the poorer design choices in Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption. A very, very rough take on the Soulsborne formula, Sinner is really only for diehard fans that are truly desperate for something new to cut their teeth on.

Jade’s Dungeon Descent is dungeon crawler that requires rigorous clicking and an infinitesimal amount of intellectual power. With less than an hour of gameplay to offer and a storyline that exists exclusively inside of the initial, and larger, title’s plot, it’s a neat toy that ultimately feels naked and afraid outside of its original Shuyan Saga packaging.

It looks better than its predecessor, but content-wise its rather stingy and the story needs work, dampening excitement for this title.

Don't Chat With Strangers is another retro, point-and-click adventure with much novelty and a great premise to begin with, yet it ultimately fails as a puzzle horror game.

Super Death Arena does a good job at delivering the gameplay which makes the genre great: death arenas, hordes of opponents, fancy weapons, and lots of bloodshed. Unfortunately, it’s also much too thin in terms of content. That’s an encouraging thought for the developers, as its mediocrity isn’t caused by a lack of quality but instead, quantity.

While innocuous and stable, this microtransaction-less gacha game will only really appeal Dragonball superfans and gacha enthusiasts.

Final Specimen: Arrival does not take any risks with plot. It is, mechanically, a platformer, reminiscent of the 90s, but nothing new or special is presented. The protagonist, for his part, promises to repeatedly die in every funny way imaginable, and that is exactly what you will get from this game - a lightly filling experience.

Urban Empire boasts a political system crafted with fun and originality in mind, as well as historical accuracy and gorgeous aesthetics. Yet even such impressive features do not make up for a lack of dimension and depth on which the success of simulators almost exclusively depend.

Strategy and Tactics: Dark Ages is a perfect game for desperate times. Imagine playing a game from the Total War series that’s locked on auto-resolve! This doesn’t make sense, you say? It doesn’t.

Lamplight City is a steampunk detective adventure with great voice acting and unique worldbuilding—but the gameplay is full of unrealized potential.

Desert Child attempts to capitalize on nostalgia with a mish-mash of references from different decades. There are some mildly funny moments, but other than that it’s a side-scrolling shooter dressed up in a cyberpunk motif.

TARTARUS is a unique concept in that it makes computer puzzles come alive with realistic representations, where most titles try to make abstract mini games out of “hacking.” The plot and overall horror atmosphere don’t come together, however. Overall, this is a solid attempt at making light programming puzzles interesting, but more work needs to be done in this area before we see a title that is truly free of tedium.

Though this visual novel has an interesting narrative, it is hindered by a lack of impactful choices, a lack of options, and branching errors that take you out of the story.

The same elements and design choices in Observer that make it a cerebral and provocative failed-future experience are those that prohibit satisfaction in its gameplay. Detailed world-building shines through in-game dialogue and lore, yet falls drastically short in any actual spatial embodiment of forces and institutions. The small space in which you're trapped is a quaint microcosm of Observer's world, but after rich promises of variety and exploration, it's ultimately too micro to satisfy.

For a first project, Antagonist shows much promise, and I'm anxious to see what it does next.

Implementation is disappointing, as gameplay just doesn’t feel right and leads to frustration.

A tale of the almighty power of time, The Watchmaker is reminiscent of Portal in its humor and scientific focus. Playing will prompt reflection and evoke emotion, but deficiencies include narrative, level design, and puzzles.

Waking the Glares - Chapters I & II feels like a good first try, but the soft, soothing music and pleasant voice acting weren't enough. The series could grow, as Wisefool Studios gains more experience and support from the community; sadly, though, these are steep requirements for players that already have a score of immersive, truly fascinating walking simulators from which to choose, not to mention puzzle games that actually require deep contemplation.

The graphics are great, but the story and the characters could use more development. The choices you make don’t feel like they matter to the outcome of this brief experience.

A relaxing walking simulator that, while beautiful and narratively interesting, ultimately does not have much for you to do.

Gorgeous ink-on-paper visuals lift Inked beyond its humble mechanics and give it a unique flavor you won’t find in too many other places. With its puzzles providing the bulk of the gameplay, however, Inked’s problematic controls and technical issues cause it to fall short of the soaring heights its art readily promises.

A ridiculous romp through a universe that doesn’t take itself too seriously, A Knight’s Quest offers an enjoyable and forgettable ride that’s only slightly marred by bugs, uninteresting combat, and a storyline that makes you laugh every once in a while.

Ultimately, nostalgia has never been, nor will ever be, the reason behind a purchase of mine; nor should it ever overshadow gameplay and mechanics so much that care about how the release plays falls by the wayside. It definitely brings the 1990s era to the modern day, but some things just should be left in the past.

The production quality isn’t terrible, when compared to other titles in the genre, there’s nothing that makes WRC 6 special, besiders than the fully licensed vehicles and drivers. If you’re in it for the name and brand recognition, then this title is probably for you. Otherwise, either buy Dirt Rally or put your $44.99 in a piggy bank and save up for a real rally car.

Genital Jousting is a stylish, unique game that doesn’t have the cojones to warrant its current market price. Bringing this game home will leave you feeling cheated and unsatisfied after spending some time in bed with it — but that doesn’t mean it’s a completely lost cause.

Deiland, charming and adorably animated as it is, travels at a glacial pace that will quickly lose the interest of hungrier gamers. As a casual farming simulator, it’s mildly satisfying, but getting to the more complex and interesting tidbits of this title takes a mind-numbing time grind that most players will, likely, politely decline.

While it is respectable that Syndrome VR attempts to pay homage to some of the best titles in the sci-fi survival horror genre, it neither distinguishes itself with new ideas nor does it improve or even match the elements it lifts from these titles. Its campaign is filled with backtracking and padding, and when anything of significance happens, this, too, is let down by poor stealth and shooter gameplay. Furthermore, the tacked-on VR mode is not up to the industry standard and doesn't justify the higher price. The most hardcore fans of the genre may be able to overlook many of its flaws, but as it stands, there are much better options out there.

This murder mystery has an interesting and engaging narrative, but not much to do besides watching.

ELEX is an ode to fans of Gothic and Risen, and fans will most likely be satisfied. How detailed the title is makes it clear: Piranha Bytes isn’t trying to cash in on an aging franchise. That being said, the issues cannot be brushed aside. It’s been nearly two decades since the studio published its first game, Gothic I, and what plagued the earlier titles affects ELEX as well. And that is a problem.

For die-hard ONE PIECE fans and players interested in creatively swinging around some nice-looking cities, this is the ideal title, but too many elements feel unfinished or underdeveloped to truly say its potential was fulfilled.

Need For Speed Heat tries hard to be a game for car people with over one hundred vehicles and deep customization features. However, it alienates the genre's biggest fans with an overused storyline, over-the-top arcade physics, and a lack of wheel support.

While The Office Quest’s absurdity is the powerhouse of its hilarity, it’s also the stumbling block that causes its overall gameplay to be bizarrely difficult and often bewildering. Its clever satire drives you through its myriad of point-and-click puzzles, but some of the more unexpected brain teasers may have casual players perplexed and scratching their heads for far too long.

Although Pylon: Rogue provides fun, the lack of upgrades that carry over, aside from unlocking more items, may deter players. Enjoyment might diminish after so many runs, depending on what you’re looking for in a title, but that’s simply the nature of the genre. However, if you like rogue-likes, such as The Binding of Isaac, and enjoy difficult titles, you’ll likely enjoy this.

A title that aims high, but is severely undermined by clunky controls, painful camera movements, and confusing, cartoonishly over-the-top story elements.

Though this arena fighter starts off fun, repetitive missions, boring arenas, and randomized fight elements cause that entertainment to wear off quickly.

Tempest Citadel makes large promises and misses the mark on them all. While it’s certainly playable, it’s a frustrating experience that lacks player engagement. The most redeeming part of this title is the original artwork, which may entice the unsuspecting consumer into purchasing a lackluster entry into the already crowded strategy genre.

A fun RPG with strong tabletop theming held back by poor AI, repetition, and lack of clear signposting.

While it draws upon influences of games long past, it ultimately fails to incorporate more recent innovations in its genre.

We Are Chicago raises real issues that still plague parts of America, and encourages young people to stay away from gang violence, and this goal is praiseworthy – but between the flat graphics, the uninspired characters, and the nausea-inducing camera movement, We Are Chicago isn't an enjoyable gaming experience.

La Résistance is an overpriced package of underwhelming mechanics and bloated focus trees. You’d do best to avoid this expansion until it goes on sale.

While City of the Shroud, a real-time strategy RPG, has some interesting design ideas in theory, in practice these designs fall flat.

Book of Demons is a beautiful roguelite dungeon crawler with enemy variety and a plethora of interesting systems built upon a sheer lack of player-side input. A decent time waster, but difficult to recommend at launch prices.

This metroidvania has great 2D graphics, but is marred by an overplayed storyline, bland enemies, and serious bugs.

Though full of beautiful art and interesting lore, this point-and-click adventure is hindered by bugs, poor mechanics, and is in need of much more environmental interaction.

While a serviceable dungeon crawler, the lack of polish keeps Conglomerate 451 from being truly engaging.

A follow-up to Job Simulator that loses most of the humor that made that title so great.

Though the atmosphere is beautiful and the sound design is immersively eerie, plot holes and disturbingly accepted character choices greatly hinder this walking simulator.

When a game isn't visually appealing, nor long, and when its puzzles are as simple as clunky controls make them painful, then it better be good in terms of story. Bucket Detective is not. And the frustration from the lack of a good narrative is made all so much more frustrating by the fact that there is potential here in pockets, including some good humor, silly art, and cute music.

With deadly bugs that prevent key gameplay mechanics, zero replayability, and an astonishingly small amount of content (<30 minutes to complete), Beat the Game is a visual masterpiece more akin to a brief bad trip at a Tomorrowland than an actual game. If you’re into audio or music production and are looking for something that will let you develop and explore it in a different light, you will be disappointed. However, when it comes to cinematography, BtG is a high nine. With a bit more care and effort from solid game and sound designers, this novelty release could have been great. And if you need drugs to enjoy music, you’re doing it wrong.

With Sonic and Mario in the spotlight again, Bubsy takes another swipe at being a lovable mascot, but doesn’t succeed in capturing the same sentiment. Ultimately, Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back (Bubsy), the platforming game, arrives as the two-decades-too-late 5th entry in the series. Despite excellent controls, the title does not overcome some of its more pressing shortcomings, such as level design, resulting in a sub-par gaming experience.

WOUNDED is a visually striking and atmospheric indie title that needed better core mechanics.

Indie platformer The Free Ones currently struggles with the absence of simply too many game essentials to be forgiven. Its fast-paced grappling action does lend a touch of excitement to its otherwise stagnant gameplay, and its potential, while imprisoned now, could be unleashed with future developer updates.

While there are a few interesting concepts at play in Jon Shafer’s At the Gates, they frequently go underdeveloped, leading to a lackluster experience.

Solo is a meditative relationship questionnaire under the guise of an aesthetically-simple puzzler. Its desire to play the love doctor lends a unique flavor to its otherwise bland and hodgepodge puzzle gameplay, but it’s not enough to save it from its painful inability to let its hair down and stay awhile.

Though the narrative and moral questions presented are interesting, this horror game is marred by frustratingly tedious gameplay and lacking mechanics.

Yume Nikki: Dream Diary is a visually faithful recreation of the original Yume Nikki, but beyond that, it falls short. A slew of game-breaking bugs and unintuitive gameplay creates a disappointing experience not worth the asking price.

Suicide Guy caters to the underserved demographic of people who enjoy 3D puzzle platformers, except this serving is more of a home-cooked meal from Grandma’s house after she had gotten dementia. It’s made with love, and is good at certain parts, but in the end, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Graphics and level design can be clever at times, but are essentially ruined by the frustrating physics and collision, lack of any good music, repetitive sound effects, half-finished animations, and stale platforming. I want to love Suicide Guy, and I do, in a way -- I appreciate the effort that was made, but when I was done I felt unsatisfied and dead inside.

This entry in the Just Cause series has taken itself too seriously, sucking the fun out of what should be a blast.

Subject A-119 makes a strong showing with a variety of abilities, but the puzzles, through mechanical and logical limitations, quickly fatigue the player. Puzzle addicts might be tempted to explore this title but, overall, Subject A-119 mechanics are more confusing than the actual puzzles, ultimately leaving players underwhelmed.

The development team behind Alder’s Blood has clearly put a lot of thought into crafting a striking experience, and while the game has style and an engaging core gameplay loop, it’s also so shaky and unpolished we find it hard to recommend.

While fans of turn-based strategy might find some features to be enjoyable, long-time players of the Jagged Alliance series and strategy connoisseurs might feel shortchanged of the beloved gameplay of this genre.

Raiders of the Broken Planet just isn’t there yet. While an alpha build of the title showed promise, the title has much development ground to cover yet. Raiders of the Broken Planet isn’t half-baked: it barely got into the oven before players were encouraged to start eating the dough.

In its desire to stick to the original Fallout RPGs, ATOM RPG disregards the lessons CRPGs have learned in the intervening years. Fallen short of both its predecessors and contemporaries in the genre, ATOM RPG .

OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead does a decent job of immersing players into a universe of the undead, but lacks innovation and is ultimately brought to its knees by the overwhelming amount of bugs and lack of player-friendly systems.

Planet Ancyra Chronicles appears to be made by a team of developers who are each individually good at their jobs – the level design, the narrative design, and the score all have their moments. Unfortunately, it seems the team suffered from miscommunication, because this title’s individual parts struggle to fit together into a single, cohesive experience. Perhaps only the most persistent of players will be able to make it to the end of this otherwise interesting story.

Guilt Battle Arena capitalizes on the idea of a party night teeming with shouts of triumph and despair with its chaotic couch co-op gameplay. A fresh update helps to increase its overall playability, but the tiny title has a long uphill journey to make before it can more readily compete with similar smash-your-friends indies.

Bio Inc. Redemption presents us with a confused tone: part of it wants to be taken seriously as a realistic medical simulator, while other parts seem to be trying to get a cynical laugh with out-of-place gore and sound effects. Still, this title is well polished and the gameplay is interesting (save for the Achilles’ heel of a terrible point management mechanic that destroys the immersion and fun). Flaws in both balance and theme could have been overlooked if not for the inclusion of this one unfortunate element.

Dead Purge: Outbreak is not fun or innovative, borrowing too heavily from many superior titles. Ultimately, the title is a zombie itself: slow-moving, mindless, collapsing readily and often.

Daemon X Machina needs some work. Its mechanics are rough, its controls are unwieldy and confusing, and its story is difficult to follow. While it’s mildly entertaining to pilot a giant robot, there are other games that pull off the experience more effectively.