Though incredibly faithful to the original, severe performance issues plague this remake of Snake Eater. While the game could and likely will be made playable down the line, it is hard to recommend the title at the time of writing, where severe framerate issues and engine-level crashes plague the PC version of the game.

Though I personally found the combat slow, punishing for the wrong reasons, and the customization a bit shallower than I would have liked, I can certainly see the appeal in Xenonauts 2, particularly for those wanting a tactically demanding, strategy-heavy game reminiscent of classic XCOM with some great lore.

Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic is one of the most in-depth economic simulators on the market, offering an excellent experience for the management-enthused player. However, poor placement tech means that players interested in the game’s building side will surely miss out.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire has a great, unique rubberhose aesthetic, which does a lot of heavy lifting for the game. The DOOM-like mechanics are solid, albeit they do very little to differentiate the game from others in the series, and the balance is toned down to the point where even a newcomer to the genre should have an easy time progressing on the hardest difficulty. It isn’t a bad game in the slightest, but it relies a little too much on its visual uniqueness and doesn’t impress me much mechanically.

What could have been an excellent entry in the creature-collection genre is spoiled by a bizarre focus on story padding and content that feels like filler. While the fun of collecting, battling, and evolving the Digimon cast is there, it’s executed in a way that demands players really dig to get to it, with odd design choices that undercut the progression system and the overall fun that could have been.

Tempest Rising feels like a nostalgic tribute to the classic RTS games of yesterday, with familiar gameplay that should appeal to old-school players and an incredible amount of polish that no classic can compare to. However, it may feel less-than-innovative to some, and there has been noticeable community backlash regarding the terms of the game’s EULA.

Though some players may find the game’s mechanics lacking in depth, this cozy adventure game proves to be an excellent choice for younger audiences that can still be enjoyed by anyone, with well-executed combat and platforming and writing that takes the player seriously.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII improves on areas of the franchise that would make any Civ fan excited. However, a feeling of incompleteness makes the game feel rushed and hard to engage with, leading to what may be an example of a game that was launched too soon but may become better with time.

]If you can ignore the game’s pointless day-one DLC, you will be in for a uniquely themed construction sim with a lot of attention to detail in RoadCraft, albeit one that is not free of its bugs.

The Posthumous Investigation is an interesting title, one that adapts incredible works of fiction into an interactive experience. While the mechanics aren’t the most inventive or interesting, and certain quality-of-life features would make the game far more enjoyable to play, you’re bound to find yourself wrapped up in the game’s fun writing and characters, fantastic art, and exciting mystery.

The Spirit Lift takes a clever approach to deckbuilding with its party-selection mechanic and introduces players to a unique, spooky, and campy setting based on teen horror classics. While certainly a fun play, the game lacks a bit in variety and replayability, areas that could be improved greatly with simple additions to the game’s roster of colorful monsters.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a stylish and creative game, with an inspired setting, some clever mechanics, and incredible visuals. However, the game struggled with its storytelling, and I suspect many mechanics will be divisive for genre fans. Though I’m sure many will love it, I personally feel Wuchang’s feathers are a little too ruffled to soar.

Bus Bound delivers some decent driving mechanics with excellent traffic AI, although the game struggles with the nuanced mechanics that make other simulator titles from Saber stand out. There is no career mode, and immersive mechanics are limited, but if you want to drive a bus along a route, you can certainly find a good, albeit short, time here.

Demonschool is an interesting title with a unique, puzzley approach to turn-based combat and phenomenal art direction and aesthetics. The story in this story-driven game, however, is all over the place and fails to feel cohesive or satisfying, while also playing more into laughs than solid characterization. If the game has caught your eye, I still suggest trying it out, but beware that you may also find the writing disjointed, confusing, and whacky in a not-so-intentional-feeling way. But maybe you’ll find more fun in the randomness than I did.

Demon Lord: Just a Block is a fun, small-scale roguelike with some cute art and a clever twist on turn-based strategy gameplay. It makes good use of the roguelike formula, with the gameplay being simple and yet weirdly addicting, albeit lacking in much longevity beyond that inherently provided by the roguelike formula. All in all, it is not a bad way to spend $13.

Katanaut is a stylish, bloody, and fast-paced roguelike with a strong identity and straightforward mechanics. While its visual and audio flair excites, the game can feel held back by readability issues and an adherence to the Metroidvania format, which emphasizes backtracking in a game that otherwise wants to feel fast.

Let Them Trade is a relaxing, no-pressure title that delivers on its promise of simplicity but falls short when it comes to long-term engagement. Though it doesn’t want to be, this game could really shine if it were more complex, focusing more on its trading mechanics than its charming vibe. With plenty of room for updates, this is a title I would keep an eye on if you aren’t already sold on it.

Classified: France ’44 is a fairly average experience. While it has some unique takes on classic mechanics, the game is overall pretty cookie-cutter of the genre. On top of this, it fails to really excite with its presentation, with ugly models and poor audio design. Fans of WWII history and die-hard turn-based strategy players should still have fun with this title, but it won’t blow anyone away.

HumanitZ has its flaws, suffering from inconsistent design features, some light bugs, and slow progression despite cutting out some of the depth featured in similar titles. However, it still makes for a worthy contender in its genre, striking a good balance between deep survival mechanics and beginner-friendly accessibility.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is a fun co-op roguelike; however, it shows the limitations of a straight mobile port and could use some work, both on the depth of its content and its controls.

Tides of Tomorrow features an incredibly interesting mechanic and a unique setting, but both are undercut by poorly paced storytelling and a lack of deeper, engaging gameplay. While I would still recommend the game for its unique, indirect multiplayer mechanic, you might find yourself in the same position I was: burnt out on the gimmick early into the game.

Though the pacing can feel like it is padding for time, and its smaller fights can be a little repetitive, Homura Hime really picks up in its exciting boss fights, serving as a parry-heavy hack-and-slash game with cinematic moments and bullet-hell elements that challenge your mastery of the mechanics. Though a bit short, Homura Hime is well worth its asking price and should especially appeal to fans of its anime aesthetic and score-chasing design.

Survival: Fountain of Youth is full of interesting ideas and great moments, but also some polarizing mechanics and jank. If you can tough it through the game’s slow start and learning curve, it will surely pull you in and give you a memorable experience despite its flaws.

IDUN – Frontline Survival has some interesting mechanics and fun gameplay, hidden behind a veil of insufferable writing and hard-to-look-at and listen-to AI-generated content. If you can see past the game’s AI veneer, and mute the dialogue, you are still in for a pretty fun tower defense game.

Built on the foundation of a PlayStation 2-era classic, the work done on Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is simply not as impressive as it was when we saw it in the remaster of 1999’s Soul Reaver. Even so, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is far from a terrible remaster of the original and is definitely the most modern way to experience the game until a full remake comes along.

Gecko Gods doesn’t provide much challenge, with repetitive puzzles and trivialized platforming thanks to its generous movement mechanics. That won’t be a problem, however, if you’re just looking for a cute, relaxed experience. Chances are, if you were drawn to this game because of the cute gecko you can play as, the title has everything you’d want, if not much more.

Deck of Haunts has a solid foundation, but I feel as though it fails to fully deliver on its own promises. The deckbuilding gameplay is solid, if repetitive, and the game doesn’t do much to capitalize on its unique identity as a haunted house simulator, leaving this reviewer severely disappointed.

Docked might not be what many fans of the genre were expecting it to be, as it presents more of a series of short construction-themed levels rather than a fully open and immersive job site simulation. However, its management mechanics are interesting, and the heavy equipment is still intricately designed, making for a fun game, even if it’s not the one you necessarily wanted it to be.