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.

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.

Senran Kagura Estival Versus shows that developers (Tamsoft and Marvelous Inc) can make a title without restrictions on censorship, and pull off one of the more enjoyable games of the genre, without making me use my brain too much. It doesn’t take itself seriously, and that’s not a bad thing: the humor and gameplay are solid and entertaining, carrying the title on their own merits. If you’re looking for beautiful shinobi girls and fast paced combat, look no further. Don’t forget: the jiggle is real!

Multiple endings and a cool feature for statistics translate into hours of entertainment. With beautiful graphics, an intense, fluid soundtrack, and relatively straightforward gameplay, Conarium is a different horror title.

While it won’t make any new fans of the Giant-Monster-Slaying genre, God Eater 3 introduces enough new with a new coat of paint for fans of the series to enjoy.

So that’s the importance of a retro game, and Alwa’s Awakening demonstrates it beautifully. With a few tweaks to make it a little more palatable to the modern gamer, Alwa’s Awakening captures the joy that can come from conquering a difficult experience. It doesn’t do anything new, but in bringing back the old, it shows how fun finding your own way can be.

With bursts of pressure, ethereal atmosphere, and engaging soundtrack, Blink brings style and originality to your standard design in puzzle-platforming. If you’re a fan of the genre and are equipped with a controller, its cheaper price point makes it worth a buy.

Another Lost Phone is truly a masterpiece of its kind, setting a bar in both creativity and meaning that will be hard for future installments in the genre to match. In addition to being one of the most innovative vehicles for a puzzle-based story to be released in a long time, the story is immensely engaging from the moment you unlock the phone. Accidental Queens have now issued a challenge to game designers everywhere: use your art to tell stories that need to be told.

A delightful blend of well-done modern and classic elements will appeal to many RPG enthusiasts, with the few impediments being less-than-stellar graphics, a few trivial bugs, and a world where — literally — not every door is open to you.

While pacing and the talent tree could use some improvement, Attack of the Earthlings is otherwise an enjoyable and entertaining release. This refreshing take on the traditional monster-in-space story melds lightheartedness with simple-but-fulfilling strategy.

Gray Dawn has a broader appeal than might be expected, precisely because it isn’t your standard horror title. It creates an amazing atmosphere and gripping suspense without using (too many) clichés, and the slow, well-paced progression creates a unique feel with great appeal.

I Hate Running Backwards doesn’t pretend to be more than it is: a fantastic, engaging arcade shooter. Its replay value is massive, and it can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages.

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

Sticking to the established 4X formula helps to make Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War enjoyable, but also keeps it from greatness. For fans, there is fun to be had in growing an army of Terminators, Assault Space Marines, and Predator tanks to crush your enemies with. But, after all the toys are smashed and the maps explored, there is sadly little else left to do.

An insightful story with fleshed out characters and captivating dilemmas, not to mention a great soundtrack, A Normal Lost Phone is the kind of experience that inspires you to get back into the world with a renewed sense of compassion toward all those who live in it. At $2.99 on Steam, some would argue that makes it worth it.

Ovivo is a beautiful piece that melds art, exploration, and mystery in a unique platform–adventure title. The levels are engaging, the gameplay intuitive. Unfortunately, the lack of clear objectives, control customization, and the inability to save game progress limits the overall appeal.

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

The folks at Fakt Software have created a winner in the puzzle genre.

Cultist Simulator is the kind of game where “Just one more turn,” easily becomes “Four hours later…” It’s addicting even when it’s difficult and frustrating, and extremely satisfying when things finally start going right for you. If you’re even slightly interested in it, the price is right to try something that’s completely original and unlike anything else out right now.

For an initial exposure to a cycling team management simulator, the experience is incredibly favorable. Anyone with interest in professional cycling would relish Pro Cycling Manager 17, and it might also perhaps help improve their own pedaling mastery in the process. However, if you’re not a hardcore fan of the sport, be aware that this may be too many spreadsheets and strategic decisions, and not enough action. Now, back to the spandex.

In all, Beat Cop is a sharp, retro-centric look at 80s Brooklyn, with all its exciting cocaine, prostitution, gang wars, and overly synthesized tunes, but Beat Cop doesn't rely on nostalgia to succeed. It's a title that stands on its own, and casual racism and sexism aside, it handily competes with similar time-management titles that have been released in the last few years.

The genre-bending Masters of Anima is most compelling for its fusion of RTS and environmental puzzling, all of which is complemented by a richly simple art style. The gameplay, however, is as delectable as the storytelling is stale, causing Masters of Anima to feel more like a preview of something great than the actual thing itself.

This light-hearted puzzle adventure is one you can enjoy with a friend. It has unique graphics, a fun storyline, and decent replayability. If you like two-player titles or solving puzzles, then 39 Days to Mars is worth playing.

Boasting unique visuals and intriguing mythos surrounding the narrative. Foregone is something fresh in the 2D platforming sub-genre. However, while it’s gameplay is strong enough, it might just be a bit too punishingly unfair of a Metroidvania in an already punishingly difficult style of game. [Early Access Score = 60

Charming and twisted, DARQ is a fantastic and immersive experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

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.

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.

Another fantastic spiritual successor to the beloved Advance Wars and a noticeable improvement from its previous title, Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is a must buy if you’re looking for something to scratch that turn-based tactical strategy itch.