The difficulty is the only other thing that may be offputting to some. I'm a play-on-easy mode person for various reasons, but even then, I had to restart several scenarios because it took a few tries to get the resources and military balance correct. There are different difficulty levels but if you are new to the franchise or take a while to get your head around how new units and mechanics work the learning curve may feel steep. However, if you stick it out then you'll find it's all worth it. Also, if it all gets too much just hit up free build mode and explore the new troops, defenses, and mechanics in a far more relaxing environment.

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a surreal experience, simply put. I think that it has the ability to make its players try and find the deeper meaning of the game, even if there’s not necessarily one to be found. One other nice thing about the game is that you don’t have to have played the first Anodyne to know what’s going on in Anodyne 2, this note coming directly from the developer. The game certainly doesn’t appeal to everyone, especially with its grandiose nature. But if you’re looking for a unique gaming experience this weekend, look no further than Anodyne 2: Return to Dust.

Sea of Solitude: Director's Cut will be an indie game I'll remember for years to come, just like Celeste and What Remains of Edith Finch. Its powerful storytelling, excellent performances, and stunning world will eventually invite me back to play it once again.

I would highly recommend checking this out if you're looking for an original indie experience. I tend to criticize games when they make me run around in circles, but I'm more than willing to make an exception for Loop Hero.

3 out of 10’s move to Nintendo Switch is a successful port that makes sense on the portable device. Taking in the game’s 30(ish)-minute episodes one at a time is a great format that works well on Switch, since you can watch it from wherever you may be in your house. Season two is slated to release on the Epic Games Store on Thursday, April 8 for free, so now is the perfect time to get caught up on all of the shenanigans from season one.

I was really hoping to be wowed by Maquette, but my time spent with it was not the magical, romantic experience I was hoping for. The bugs, overall wonkiness, and lame puzzle design annoyed me to no end. Especially when it would punish me by making me start a chapter over because it had broken itself. As a result, my already low tolerance of the love story between Michael and Kenzie grew to the point where I couldn't stand the couple. I would actively cheer when things went wrong because I didn't like them. The game seemingly wants you to feel like their relationship is one for the ages, but it just felt like a couple who had issues after the honeymoon period was over. It's a tale as old as time, but not one worth basing a game on.

The multiplayer component is the key selling point here as quick multiplayer strategy matches sound fun, yet even that is hurt by the apparent lack of an active online player base. All of these issues leave The Battle Of Polytopia as a title that doesn't have enough options and content to make it worth going to war for.

For anyone who’s never heard of Crazy Taxi, Taxi Chaos will be a good enough racing title that’s fine for a quick pick-up-and-play experience. For everyone else, this near-duplicate ride likely won’t be worth the cab fare.

Encodya doesn’t bring anything new to the point-and-click genre, but that’s not really what it’s going for. It’s a coming-of-age tale set in a dystopian world that, honestly, doesn’t seem too far off from where we as a society might be headed. Chaosmonger Studio does well to ground Tina in reality, despite living in a world full of superficial facades and virtual dangers - all with the help of her lumbering, lovable companion SAM-53. (Great name, by the way.)

Despite having spent plenty of time in Littlewood (yes, I kept the default name for my town), I still often find myself wondering when the other shoe is going to drop. When will I be thrust back into a life of combat to defend the town and community that I have spent hours upon hours rebuilding? There’s been nothing to indicate that that is going to happen, and I hope nothing ever will. I have every intention of continuing my journey in Littlewood for a long time - whether that comes in the form of extended hour-long playthroughs or five to ten minutes at a time.

I’ve grown to enjoy it more and more as I’ve played. But despite how much I can enjoy it, I can’t get away from those minor frustrations, as much as I’d like to. Bravely Default 2 makes a compelling case for itself as a modern JRPG that evokes the classic era, but it doesn’t do as much with the concept as modern contemporaries, and it never quite reaches the soaring highs of those classics, either. This is a game in between a rock and a hard place, and while it will definitely find its audience, it won’t make it onto any list of essential RPGs as its predecessor did.

Had the gameplay been tuned up a bit more I could see myself recommending this, but unfortunately, Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection is one game that feels like it came back from the dead a little too soon.

Its visuals can be striking, but that's about all I can remember about my time with it. At this point, I've played plenty of Soulslikes. The ones that I did enjoy tried to play around with the formula in some way. But Shattered doesn't reinvent the wheel or even try to gussy it up. It's just a so-so Soulslike that tries to stand out by having the same aesthetic as The Corpse Bride. And that's simply not enough.

I’m not generally a visual novel type of person, but Half Past Fate: Romantic Distancing was a fun little adventure that reinforced my appreciation for not having to wade through the digital dating waters myself. I’m not sure the game did enough to make me want to take a crack at another playthrough for a different ending, but it did make me interested in picking up the full Half Past Fate release that is currently on sale. I’d say that makes Half Past Fate: Romantic Distancing a success.

Taking all aspects into consideration, I would highly recommend Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos. Despite its lack of engaging plot and characters, the gameplay is outstanding and makes the experience worth it on its own. I did not find myself wishing for a better plot and characters 99% of the time, because I was so caught up in trying to figure out how to make it through or find the next dungeon. Even better, the game can be multiplier, so it has the perfect setup to have a blast trying to get through the dungeons with family or friends.

Ultimately, Super Mario 3D World, in this package, is the best that game has ever been, with the increased speed and ease of multiplayer access making it far more enticing than ever before. Bowser’s Fury, meanwhile, is essentially the Super Mario Odyssey DLC that never was. It feels like Odyssey’s level and game design sensibilities, but placed in the Super Mario 3D World game engine, with all of the power-ups and quirks that game has to make something truly unique. Putting both of these games in one package is the best decision that Nintendo has made in a long while, as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is one of the best Mario offerings available on Nintendo Switch, which is lofty praise given the existence of Super Mario Maker 2.

If Persona 5 was about forming bonds with new people and recruiting them for a common cause, Persona 5 Strikers is about taking the Phantom Thieves and proving that the friendship they share is lasting, that it can and will endure any hardship. I think, right now, that message is immeasurably important, and hits harder than a bullet formed from the Seven Deadly Sins.

Little Nightmares 2 is an enthralling, nerve-racking journey into madness. And it's all thanks to the terrifying imaginations of the people over at Tarsier Studios: a group of developers who seem dead set on giving us all childhood trauma even as grown-ass adults.

While I may not be interested in replaying Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood any time soon, the game did increase my intrigue to learn more about the World of Darkness universe. I think maybe I’ll steer clear of werewolves for now, though, and instead see what the WoD’s vampires have to offer.

I wanted to love Destruction AllStars. I still do. There’s just not enough there to make it worth my while right now. A couple of times, I ran into a weird technical issue where I would jump into a brand-new car, but it just wouldn’t move. I think that issues like this can certainly be fixed in a future patch, though. I also know that the development team of Lucid Games has a year’s-worth of content planned for the game. As such, although I can’t recommend playing Destruction AllStars right now, I do have high hopes for the future of the game. Especially since the car combat genre is ripe for the taking with no new Twisted Metal in sight.

As it stands right now, The Captain Is Dead is an interesting take on the strategy genre, but I feel like it boldly goes too far in being a frustrating, teeth-grinding, mind-numbing exercise in futility.

With some godly patchwork, Gods Will Fall could reach new heights. As it stands, though, it falls long before its eponymous gods ever truly have a chance to.

Bonkies is a good enough solo experience that I’ll be more than happy to jump in from time to time whenever I only have a few moments to game, or perhaps as a way to warm up before a night of Warzone or GTA Online. However, you can bet that once I’m able to have people over to my house again, Bonkies will be the first party game of the night that we play. And given its fun factor, possibly the only party game we’ll need.

A stealth game above all else, Disjunction is a fun journey through a dystopian world. Its head-to-head combat woes can be generally overlooked because stealth is such a major component. It’s clear that Ape Tribe Games put a lot of effort into building up the game’s cyberpunk setting, successfully making Disjunction a game that needs to be played by fans of the genre, or even OG Metal Gear Solid fans.

I can't say that Olija is a complete misfire. The way that the characters and enemies are animated in this pixel art style is superb. The world of Terraphage is fantastically bleak and it says a lot that my biggest criticism that I wanted to spend more time there. Unfortunately, the combat mechanics and story lack the depth that I wanted them to have. There are some good ideas here, but Olija is a voyage that ends far too soon.

Heaven’s Vault is a game that was made with love and passion, that much is clear. This is a fascinatingly unique concept for a game, and the Ancient text must have taken a team months upon months of planning and work to put in place, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a fun or engaging experience when stretched out into hours of vague and unsatisfying puzzling.

The Medium never hits a flat note. I beat the game in two long sittings, and there was never a point during either that I felt like the game dragged, or could’ve used a little more polish, or left too many loose ends hanging. It’s a lean, compelling experience that says what it has to say, then leaves you to grapple with the specifics afterwards. There are images, lines, and ideas from The Medium that I’ll likely take to my grave thanks to this approach, as it puts the onus on the player to piece everything together. You have to wrap your brain around the spirit world’s twisted logic so much that it becomes a part of you, as you live through Marianne’s pain with her and help to navigate her trauma. Much like Marianne’s past, don’t expect The Medium to leave your head any time soon.

It all adds up to a beautiful experience in Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy. There’s a bit of a learning curve with the game’s synthesis and battle systems, but Atelier Ryza 2 is a game that is easy going enough to allow you to take your time to truly get a handle on everything it has to offer (which is a lot). I was already eyeing the 1:7 Scale PVC Ryza statue that’s available next month. After playing Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, I can say with complete confidence that I’ll be pulling the trigger on that purchase. Not too many games can boast having that sort of impact on me.