Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown might not have the most captivating story and characters, but its platforming and combat are a new peak for the series - an impressive feat considering that’s what put it on the map in the first place. Some fans may have already turned their nose up at The Lost Crown because of everything that it does differently from the Sands trilogy, but this is not only one of its best entries in the series, but one that understands what makes Prince of Persia so great in the first place.

Admittedly, I had a hard time putting Nobody Saves The World down to write up this review, and that speaks to how satisfying its rewarding challenge-based progression and surprisingly deep form-changing gameplay are. Prepare to see Nobody Saves The World in the dungeon-crawling hall of fame.

The game does deliver what it promises: magic girls, animals, cute furniture, a relaxed pace, and the chance to bend the rules with magic and ride a giant cat. However, it also has some glitches, a few quirks in its gameplay, and some slightly iffy controls. How much you get out of Calico will truly depend on how much you love its themes as well as your tolerance for glitches. It will also matter if you were looking for a game that lets you actually run a café, since this aspect of gameplay is surprisingly passive.

Simulacra 2 is at its best when it is rewarding strong attention to detail, and at its worst when it's punishing you for guessing incorrectly in dialogue sequences. The acting is strong by FMV standards too. I like this series and I appreciate how much it grew between the two games. I'm excited to see where they go next with it.

All being said, I never believed I would live to see the day a worthy successor of Jet Set Radio materialized into existence, and yet, here we are. For better or worse, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk embodies the vibes and fun of the early 2000s era in video games and succeeds in delivering a great experience, whether you’re a fan of that era or not.

From a gameplay perspective, I got more than I anticipated from Ragnarok. It manages to introduce new systems and gameplay mechanics consistently from beginning to end, keeping combat and exploration fresh and exciting the entire time - you can check out the most in-depth analysis of the combat here, in my preview, and in this non-exhaustive deep dive. Gear has similar progression problems that 2018’s God of War had, but now you can actually craft complex builds with cool synergies that feel impactful. There’s an unbelievable amount of variety in the places you go and the kinds of enemies you fight compared to the previous game, and your options in combat are a lot more involved and meaningful as well. These improvements and refinements make Ragnarok a great sequel, and the increased length will please the ‘time spent = value’ crowd, but the path from Faye’s final resting place to the final battle of Ragnarok is not nearly as composed or worthwhile as it could have been.

Bridge Constructor: Ultimate Edition is definitely worth your time on Switch. It’ll take three to five hours to complete given your bridge-building abilities. Once everything is done, you could go back and aim for a more structurally-sound crossing and a higher score. It likely won’t hold anyone’s attention for more than ten-or-so hours, but, at fifteen dollars, this is definitely a solid addition to the Nintendo eShop.

Severed Steel feels like playing the Deathloop trailer. Not the actual game, specifically the trailer. Specifically the run shoot kick montage that comes in right at the end. Slick, stylised, and never slowing down for a second, Severed Steel looks set to launch without much fanfare, but if you want a game that gives you a great time and then leaves you alone, give it a try. KILL. THEM. ALL.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim has found its perfect home on the Nintendo Switch with its mash-up of two genres that work best when on handheld — visual novel and RTS. I ended up carrying my Switch with me for days on end as 13 Sentinels was like a good book that I couldn’t put down. The gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and intricately layered storyline pair beautifully together to create a love letter to classic sci-fi.

Those small flaws don't detract from what is a great little puzzle game, though. Amanita basically has a perfect track record when it comes to its different releases and Creaks does not break that trend. It certainly is something new for the studio that longtime fans may not immediately gel with, but those that have a love of the weird and creepy will find a lot to admire in Creaks.

Even with the confusing cut content that hopefully gets added back in at a later date, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is the perfect way for newcomers to get into the series with its most action-packed and visceral entry. Veterans are still likely to prefer the ridiculous cruelty of the original game, but most fans are just going to be happy to see Ryu return and right most of Sigma’s wrongs.

While none of the major aspects of the game are particularly extraordinary, The 7th Guest VR does everything right. The setting, story, and puzzles are enjoyable and cohesive, while small details like the reality-shifting lantern view and the volumetric video cutscenes help it stand out from most VR puzzle games on the market. You might not be amazed by anything in particular, but you certainly won’t be disappointed by any of it.

I wouldn’t recommend playing if your idea of cinematic games is a highly polished triple-A experience. But if you don’t mind a bit of jank, if you don’t care about bowls clipping through each other in the sink as you wash the dishes, then Apartment Story will spin you a fraught tale in which there’s as much tension in getting a shower as there is with your home invader.

All in all, Zero Parades has that ever-elusive quality of convincing you to keep playing: to find out what happens next, to unravel the narrative, to keep experiencing Portofiro. There's something about games that try to capture the collective human experience that just speaks to my very soul. Zero Parades is the kind of game that makes you ponder our shared existence; the immutable mechanisms of existing in a society you have no control over. I'm ecstatic to announce we have another fantastic narrative RPG in the world. Bravo ZA/UM.

The fact that Capcom has bundled these games together is a great value and lets an underrated rendition of this franchise be experienced by fans both old and new.

Venba is a truly wonderful game, and executes what it sets out to do wonderfully. The art is gorgeous, the music is excellent, and the storytelling is somehow both broad in what it manages to elucidate about the South Asian immigrant experience while deep in the family dynamics it portrays. The cooking gameplay does eventually get a little stale towards the end as it attempts to include more recipes with less detail, and quite honestly, it’s more of a visual novel that touches on cooking than an actual cooking game. That said, I still found myself sniffling and wiping tears away by the end. It’s a sincere, full-throated love letter to Tamil culture and first-generation immigrants everywhere, and in that sense it is unique and singular in its ambition. I loved Venba, and have already recommended it to my Indian friends. I can only hope that it reaches far beyond that audience.

It’s an easy recommendation for any one already invested in the series, but to the five million couples that played It Takes Two last year: We Were Here Forever should be your next co-op adventure. As the longest and most approachable entry, it’s a great place to start even if you don’t intend to play through all four games - though the second you finish Forever, you’ll almost certainly want to go back for more We Were Here. It’s been a delight to watch We Were Here grow from a student project into one of the best puzzle series around, and I can’t wait to see how Total Mayhem Games takes its signature style beyond Castle Rock next time.

In an alternate universe, Hitman became one of the best-selling series of all time, its influence akin to something like PUBG. In this better world, where the pandemic never even happened, Hitman spawned a genre of its own - the Hitmanlike, where developers put level design and systemic play right at the top of their priority list. Alas, we can’t break through the skin of the world and reach that universe. We’re stuck here. In our world, Hitman stands alone. There’s nothing like it, and Hitman 3 is an outstanding refinement of that unique 21-year-old recipe. Just watch out for that secret ingredient. (It’s poison).

Remnant: From the Ashes is one of my all-time favorite games, so the sequel had a lot to live up to. Remnant 2 makes many bold changes, and not all of them are successful, but it doesn’t lose the core of what makes Remnant so popular. It’s still a rock-solid shooter with a captivating setting that’s full of challenging boss fights, unique weapons, and plenty of mysteries to discover. If the post-launch support for Remnant 2 is anything like Remnant: From the Ashes, we'll have a lot to look forward to over the next couple of years while Gunfire Games refines the systems and adds new locations and game modes to try. The cliffhanger ending certainly indicates there’s a lot more to come, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

I'm very happy that the wait was worth it. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is still a unique experience that manages to blend its platforming and FPS gameplay mechanics pretty well. There are some parts that haven't aged as well as others, but if you're looking for a game where you fire smack-talking chipmunks at criminals with names like Joe Momma, then this will fit perfectly on your Nintendo Switch.

Stray Gods can be inconsistent in its musical numbers at times and presents a selection of irksome technical issues, but these foibles are trivial to overlook when Grace’s journey fires on all cylinders. It is marvelously written with a beating heart lined with poignancy, which at every turn expresses the joy, fear, and unpredictability of human life you can’t help but feel represented by. Much like Grace, I’m a lost, lost girl with little direction in life, but sometimes a game like this comes along and convinces me it’s only a matter of time until I’m found.

If you want a game that offers some simple yet addictive combat mechanics and a relaxed atmosphere with just enough challenge, then Trials Of Mana is a great choice for a game to play after you come down from the high of escaping Midgar.

I have my nitpicks, although I’m not too proud to admit that they are drastically outweighed by my predilections. Pokemon Unite is a game I can see myself playing for a long time - just add Blastoise to the roster already, eh? I’m dying to see what a Unite move with massive reptilian shoulder cannons looks like.

Never Again is a great game to pick up for a broad range of players. It bears repeating that although there are elements that one might consider part of the Horror genre, Never Again could be argued as falling closer in line to other such classics as Firewatch, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, and What Remains of Edith Finch, thanks to its great story and engaging puzzles. Despite the few shortcomings listed here, Never Again is not a title that players should miss.

For a free mobile game, KOONGYA Draw Party is a great way to pass the time. It's cute, it's cheerful, it's filled with a good number of "dad joke"-level puns - truly, what more do you need?

I have always considered the original City Building series to be some of the best games in the genre, and A New Era elevates Pharoah to modern standards spectacularly well. You’ll come for the charming style and intricate building mechanics but stay for the sheer wealth of content available, allowing you to spend hours building the Egyptian city of your dreams. I hope to see remakes of the rest of the series in the future, or maybe even a brand new ancient civilization city builder.

Inconsistent graphics and the lack of a female protagonist we had in Portable aside, however, this remains a solid means of enjoying one of the finest RPGs of the past two decades. Its writing is sharper, combat is more satisfying, and it brings this world to life in ways that just weren’t possible several generations ago. Reload might lack its signature rough edge, but those coming around for the first time will find plenty to love.

Obviously, it would have been better if the collection had included the first Star Gladiator and Rival Schools games, and it would be nice if Capcom had provided us with characters and features locked to the console ports of these titles. However, you can always ask for more and the point stands that what’s here is already one of the best retro fighting game collections on the market.