Some gamers have come to expect, with undue regularity, the world from a gaming experience. What about fun? Simple, intuitive escapism? Why must a title always be adorned – or beset, perhaps – with pseudo-sophisticated ornament? Some might find the frenetic gameplay off-putting (it is optional, anyway), but the fun factor prevails, and especially with good company, Marooners hits the mark.

My Time At Portia is a fantastic life simulation RPG that allows you to build a life in the post-apocalyptic town of Portia. Similar to beloved games like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, My Time At Portia brings a charming 3D experience to the life simulation genre and is a must-have for both old and new fans alike.

Be mindful that if you pick this title up, which I think you should, you’ll be doing all the legwork in your brain while still keeping your heart rate down. Though simple and straightforward, and thoroughly enjoyable, this style of gameplay is not for everyone. That said, take some time away from the crazy stuff and chill out with Lifeline. Hats off to the dev for putting together a great story in an elegant, minimal package that still brings it home.

Wreckfest is a demolition derby-style racer with stunning physics and a hint of absurdity. Whether your vehicle of choice is a Pontiac Firebird or a lawn mower, the title is less about racing and more about the spectacular collisions.

A highly customizable rogue-lite with a charming aesthetic flair, RAD lives up to its name.

Grimmwood – They Come at Night is a cooperative survival MMO that masterfully merges strands of exploration, strategy, and time-management into a cohesive whole. Its ability to consistently and genuinely inspire teamwork amongst its manifold players is a rare, laudable talent. Currently, the title is limited only by its total number of willing gamers, but it’s likely many more, like moths to an unusually attractive flame, will soon flock to Grimmwood’s bizarre light.

The Banner Saga 3 is the compelling conclusion to a saga that first captured hearts in 2014 with its masterful hand-drawn art, gut-wrenching decision-making, and satisfying turn-based combat. The final installment is everything it was expected to be and more, and while it may not be particularly welcoming to newcomers, it’s a fine reason for everyone to dive back into the Viking saga once again.

This PC release of the 12th title in the mainline Final Fantasy series, originally released for the PS2 in 2006, sees many additions and improvements. Even if you haven't played the console version from back in the days, FFXII: THE ZODIAC AGE is a must-have for all who enjoy JRPG's filled with adventure.

With Prey, the developer Arkane Studios has built on the proven success of its stealth shooters. The gameplay discourages a head-on approach, slowing down the pace of the action. However, the frustration of having to hide instead of fighting enemies is remedied by excellent graphic and sound design, a strong RPG element, and the possibility to gather resources and build useful devices. An additional perk is the inventive writing, which manages an immersive, haunting atmosphere.

In the end, the positive aspects of Expeditions: Viking outweigh the problems. Creating such a complex, detailed, and varied title is an ambitious undertaking, and it’s exactly what’s needed for gamers who don’t want to rely on “enhanced editions” of classic games to find a good role-playing experience. Expeditions: Viking, however, is more than just an RPG; it’s also an epic journey through history — a field with surprisingly few entries. Why rely on adventures from DnD or fantasy realms, if history can be presented in such an intriguing way?

Tooth and Tail, also known as the Angry Russian Mouse Arcade RTS Partygame, is an innovation in perhaps the most stagnant (and one of my personal favorite) genres in gaming. It's an RTS you can play on a console, and it rewrites the RTS rulebook to force fast, ferocious partygame-style matches that still play like a strategy game. And if that weren't enough, it's beautiful and has a killer story to boot. No detail is left unpolished in this one; definitively one of the most unique and successful experiments in gaming this year, and just a good time, period.

Ticket to Earth combines puzzle gameplay with turn-based strategy to create a smooth and dynamic RPG experience. Natural dialogue and engaging characterization pair with a direct, clean plot in an emotionally honest portrayal of individuals caught up in social upheaval. The randomization of tiles on the battlefield leads to uneven difficulty, but intuitive controls make for smooth combat. While the product as it stands only delivers one out of four projected episodes, additional episodes will arrive as free updates rather than paid add-ons or DLC.

Between the graphics and exploring this abandoned world and piecing together what happened, Empathy: Path of Whispers is incredible and highly recommend, even if you might not usually play an exploration-driven title.

A fantastic way to break an eight-year hiatus, Mega Man 11 is the return that fans of the Blue Bomber have been waiting for.

Odyssey is a fantastic addition to the Assassin's Creed franchise. Plenty of action and adventure is wrapped up in a gripping story, with a plethora of choices for you to make along the way. This particular piece of history makes for a fantastic blend of war and mythology, and Ubisoft has done a brilliant job merging the two. Between the fabulous open-world exploration and the exciting game-altering decisions around every corner, I cannot recommend this title enough.

Toukiden 2 is exceptionally well-made and can readily provide countless hours of entertainment for those who enjoy an action-packed hunting-style game with a sprinkling of RPG. There's ever more to unlock as you progress, granting some new feature to play with, rewarding you for making your way through the game. Battles that last a few minutes or so may be tedious, but the vastness of the world, filled with its various items, objects, and quests - not to mention the preponderous depth of the Mitama system — easily vanquish any sense of Oni ennui.

Everything is an extraordinary journey. It’s Salvador Dali meets Neil deGrasse Tyson meets Eastern Mysticism. It’s art and spirituality brought to life in a medium that transcends the limitations of books and paints. This isn’t the game you want if you’re looking for casual entertainment with which to unwind at the end of a long day. Yet, even though Everything challenges your understanding of self and the universe, it never sacrifices the simple joy of fun.

With dozens of hours of enjoyable gameplay, this polished title will appeal to JRPG enthusiasts and Atelier fans alike.

Flexible in its appeal to those new to the bullet hell subgenre of shoot-em-ups and to those hardened master grazers, Danmaku Unlimited 3 is a solid entry in Doragon Entertainment’s Danmaku Unlimited series. Despite its lack of plot, its polished audio-visual quality, simplified mechanics, and high replayability makes this title a great addition to anyone’s library.

Whether you are new to the series, or just looking for a creepy game to mess with your perception of reality, Bad Dream: Coma is not one to miss. The atmosphere is dark and gritty, and the player has the option of making it darker and grittier with their decisions. There are tons of challenging puzzles and secrets to unlock, and many different avenues for the narrative to take. In fact, almost the entire narrative is based around actions and consequences. The developers attention to detail is exemplary, freeing the player to enjoy entirely different scenes based on even small changes in actions.

Overall, Ancestors Legacy isn’t insanely different from other popular RTS entries out there. What it does have are a lot of interesting and unique options and gameplay strengths that will make it a popular choice for those RTS players that hold strategy and planning higher than overwhelming enemies by sheer force. The graphics, gameplay, and multiplayer modes make this title a successful first expedition into the RTS genre for Destructive Creations.

Blood Bowl 2 - Legendary Edition is a brilliant iteration of a quality, fully-realized tabletop title with tons of replayability. Expensive? Yes. Niche? For sure; some people will be like “WTF? Fantasy football, but like, fantasy fantasy?” Worth it for the fans? Hell yeah. This is the bloodiest, funniest damn sports game that has or likely will ever be made, and if you dig the IP, like strategy and have the cash, I say grab it like a mad chainsaw-wielding Goblin going for the spike-covered pigskin.

Forgotton Anne is a visual splendor rivaling the likes of fellow animated, but Triple-A, titles like Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. Its mesmerizing story competes readily with its spectacularly beautiful art, for which the platforming and puzzling gameplay is only a complement. Forgotton Anne is unmistakably a diminutive treasure that deserves to never itself be forgotten.

The Long Dark is imperfect, but it could be one of the best experiences in the survival genre. For the impatient, single-player gamer, The Long Dark holds little promise. However, if you relish the challenge of isolation and the feeling that you’re fighting against an environment that isn’t trying to kill you, but rather just doesn’t care about you, then you must try The Long Dark.

War of the Chosen adds so favorably to the original XCOM 2 experience that fans should consider it near-perfect as well as essential. Although some features in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, such as soldier bonds and propaganda, are inadequately manifested, most new features blend seamlessly with the base title and solve predictability and stagnation issues that once plagued early game. The titular Chosen adversaries enrich your gameplay with increased risk and challenge, even as resistance faction allies offer diversity in how you may combat them.

Warhammer 40,000: Sanctus Reach provides deep gameplay with a simple recipe: easy-to-learn combat rules and units… lots and lots of unique units. Despite minor bugs and a lack of flair – no cutscenes, little narrative, not much in the way of physics – Sanctus Reach is a solid entry in the Warhammer franchise, and an excellent turn-based tactical game to boot.

Wacky Spores: The Chase is a strong showing from the one-man show Lorenzo Bellincampi. This endless runner ditches substance and opts for style: you won’t find plot or character development, but the popping visuals and sharp audio promise hours of fungal fun.

Sleep Tight is a top-down shooter with strong base building elements that provides go-to casual gameplay for any library.