Little Nightmares 3 upholds its franchise’s place at the top of the genre, being tense, engaging, and deeply immersive with its macabre worldbuilding. The addition of co-op is a great addition to the series, while remaining an excellent solo experience, should you choose to play it that way.

Disciples: Domination can feel slow, tedious, and grindy at times, but fun can still be had in its unique party recruitment mechanic and highly customizable player character. However, it doesn’t change enough from the game that came before to justify its existence as a sequel, and may even feel like a disappointing departure for returning fans.

Everything else that I could think to request from the game, including more classes, more maps, and new game modes, is promised to come. So, as long as the developers keep that promise, I think Legacy: Steel & Sorcery will be an ultimately fantastic game—one that does what Dark & Darker does, but much better. [Early Access Review]

Ereban: Shadow Legacy is an excellent story wrapped in a clever platforming stealth game. Fans of the stealth genre or those just looking for a great story are sure to enjoy melding into the shadows and parkouring their way through this wonderfully put-together and presented world.

Heartworm works best in its subtlest areas, leaving players to experience the tension of its beautifully creepy environments and its subtle, anxiety-inducing score and story. While some of the moments intended to put you on edge don’t work as well, the game overall is still a great piece of nostalgia and an experience worth having on your own.

Bye Sweet Carole is an incredible work of art and animation, one worth experiencing on its artistic merits alone. As a game, however, it leaves much to be desired, failing to innovate with its shallowest of mechanics. It is a game that plays slow when it plays at all and likely would have done better as a film.

Chains of Freedom is a turn-based action game with incredible art and good storytelling, but its gameplay may be too familiar, missing opportunities to make its combat more exciting or original.

Winter Burrow really stands out for its unique setting and the bold way it chooses to approach its narrative and character writing. Mechanically, it’s less bold, being a solid game to play, even if it’s a little overly similar to others in the genre and too linear for my personal taste. It is definitely a cozy take on its genre, one that can be played at your own pace without worry of a big difficulty curve or trouble, while unironically having a more solemn story than a lot of its peers.

Though I don’t agree with every decision the game makes, its hard to deny that Spirit of the North 2 is a beautiful and relaxing romp through a world that feels very real, where players can interact with what appears to be living history and collect cool fox powers along the way.

The Thing: Remastered captures the essence of a timeless horror game and gives it a fresh coat of paint alongside some quality-of-life improvements for a modern audience.

Damon and Baby is a fun, unique, and criminally underappreciated new title. While the game could improve in some areas and the mechanics are a bit simple, the game shines for its excellent characters and is a solid, fun experience. Damon and Baby certainly deserves more attention than it is getting, and will likely to be remembered as a cult favorite.

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss has a lot to offer for those looking for an immersive, narrative-driven horror thriller. Its gameplay doesn’t demand quick reflexes or wanton destruction, but rather deduction skills and attention to detail. I don’t see everyone being a fan of this title, but for those who are really big into Lovecraft, this is probably exactly what you would want from a game tackling the mythos, one that is all about questions and the unfortunate answers that go with them.

War Hospital takes some challenging, innovative management sim mechanics and throws them in a tense setting, where your every choice could mean life or death. Try to make the most of a bad situation in this game about running a hospital during one of the worst conflicts in history.

Clue: Murder by Death seems perfect for a niche audience, as it offers a mystery that requires player commitment and meaningful deduction skills to solve, with very few tools to make it easier. For a general audience, however, the game is likely to feel slow, awkward to play, and full of distracting load times, which come together to make a game that’s hard to engage with.

SCHiM is a relaxing and artistic little game. With a clever take on platform puzzles, a cute little shadow frog, and a surprisingly heartwrenching story, this charming title is sure to find a cozy spot in the pond you call your Steam library.

Alone in the Dark pays homage to a horror classic with a strikingly familiar and yet utterly fresh retelling of a cult classic. Modernized gameplay, stunning graphics, and a faithful yet expanded retelling of the classic story make Alone in the Dark perfect for fans of the original and newcomers to the series alike.

Killing Floor 3 improves on the previous game in ways fans will appreciate, with new weapons, characters, classes, and better monetization. However, said monetization remains fairly aggressive, and the game suffers from a purposeful lack of content, relying on future updates to feel whole. Like Killing Floor 2, it may be best experienced a few years down the line.

If some clunky mechanics don’t bother you and the more mundane aspects of police work get you excited, The Precinct might be the game for you. Working best when it leans into its ’80s cop movie aesthetics, this title can feel more like a promise of something great at times, but for the right audience is definitely going to feel like a refreshing and exciting entry into a decidedly small genre.

Devil Jam has a great premise, fantastic art, and a fun mechanical twist on the survivors-like genre. However, it feels unfinished, providing not a whole lot of content and making players grind pretty hard to get what is there. Mechanically and narratively light, the game would be in a great spot for an Early Access release, but short of a full launch.

Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots is a surprisingly enjoyable golf game with solid mechanics and a chill vibe, even if it doesn’t do much to win over people who aren’t already fans of the sport. It’s built for fans of the game looking for a nice digital way to enjoy the sport, but Steam Deck players may struggle with performance.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead was a surprisingly good horror experience, combining human and alien fears into a chilling, atmospheric game. Fans and newcomers alike should enjoy at least one playthrough of this fun horror romp.

While Fear The Timeloop has its indie blemishes and its gameplay can at times be unnecessarily punishing, it shines through with a unique premise and an interesting story. All of this comes together to create what is essentially a B-horror movie, where the game’s problems are more charming than outright impactful.

Copycat is a uniquely cat-perspective narrative game that tells a heartwarming and, at times, heart-wrenching story that cat lovers and owners should resonate with. However, it is a bit weak on the gameplay side and will often hold your hand and guide you through the story it wants you to experience.

Though weak in some places, The Casting of Frank Stone is still a good story set in the Dead By Daylight universe and left me excited for the possibility of more games and stories coming out in this setting.

Echoes of the End is a game with undeniable potential buried under frustrating technical problems and uneven combat. Its rich world and strong narrative deserve praise, but until its mechanics and performance are polished, it’s hard to fully recommend.

Mirthwood is an open-ended farming sim with a unique dark fantasy setting. While character interaction is limited and combat is underwhelming, you’ll find yourself spoiled with things to do, allowing you to live free in a hand-drawn and mysterious country.

Empyreal is an interesting take on its genre with a unique focus on everyone’s favorite part of an RPG, dungeons. However, the simplistic combat is poorly balanced, with a difficulty curve that becomes very difficult as early as the game’s second level.

Though I have reservations, Phantom Fury is still a great shooter with much to offer. Some players will certainly be able to circumvent the areas that I complained about in their own playthroughs. Still, even if you experience the same pace-fighting confusion I did, the game is worth playing and will certainly win back your goodwill with some of its more action-packed and exciting moments.