Besides some fundamental fixes to mechanics, I’d like to see MENACE add a bit more variety to the game. Specifically, I think the game is limited in enemy types, but I’d also like to see even more infantry equipment and vehicles added. This is a bit of a greedy ask, I know, but the game has so much potential; I can’t wait to see what a possible modding scene for MENACE would look like. [Review in Progress]

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.

*Nova Antarctica* is a charming, if at times challenging, combination of survival-crafting mechanics and platforming. While it’s got its great and charming moments, a lot of little issues can hold the game back, making it slow or outright frustrating to play and leaving the player with a feeling that the game itself just isn’t totally finished.

Horizon Journey needs work. It has a long way to go before a full release, and probably should have spent more time in internal testing before being released. I hope the developers manage to fix the game’s many problems, and I hope they end up finding their audience. As it currently stands, however, I do not recommend purchasing the game until at least the issues outlined in this review are fixed. [Early Access Review]

Ghost Keeper fits a very unique niche, being a spiritual successor to a beloved cult-classic game that nostalgic fans should enjoy. In the current Early Access state, the game has a ton of potential to build upon, with some of the right ideas already in place. However, I think the game still needs a lot of work, and I would like to see the developers work on the points outlined in this review. Particularly, I hope to see more of the unique interactions and animations on each map expanded upon, because to me, that’s when the game is at its best. [Early Access Review]

I Hate This Place has an incredible setting and fun enough, if not all that impressive, survival and combat mechanics, but could do a better job of introducing players to its world and story. I think the game will certainly find an audience, and those players will likely find themselves drawn to the comic-book franchise the game is inspired by.

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.

Bladesong is, in my opinion, exactly what it wants to be. It is not the most innovative or immersive blacksmithing game, nor is it an RPG full of player agency and choice. Instead, it’s a really cool sword-creation engine with a nice story and shop sim tacked onto it. If you want to make cool swords, the game is certainly worth the price, and there’s a lot to look forward to as it continues its development. If you’re expecting more from the game than that, you’re going to be disappointed. [Early Access Review]

Winnie’s Hole is not just horror-slop designed to capitalize on your nostalgia for a familiar, now public domain property. It’s a genuinely clever take on the deckbuilding roguelike genre, with mechanics that stand out from others before it. It’s also a uniquely fun, grotesque piece of body horror, which doesn’t take itself too seriously but also doesn’t shy away from terrifying mutations and morbid execution on its premise. It’s great, even for something in Early Access, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the developers take it next. [Early Access Review]

MIO: Memories in Orbit demands patience, offering a serene and strange world to explore, great characters to meet, and some of the better platforming mechanics I’ve played with. It lacks a lot of familiar genre mechanics, which can make it feel punishing for some, especially those who want to get through the game fast. If you find that you enjoy taking your time in MIO: Memories in Orbit, then you’ll have a lot of fun.

Despite bugs that likely won’t be present in the game by the time it releases, I had an incredible amount of fun with The Fortress, as I was sucked in by the game’s great storytelling and art, and engaged by its unique approach to roguelike gameplay. However, the game’s poor balancing can unintentionally cheapen the experience, making the game’s brutal and unforgiving world a bit too easy to navigate.

In its current Early Access state, Blightstone is a promising roguelike with room for improvement. Subjectively, some of the character class identities feel odd, and the game’s progression feels kind of underwhelming and not as rewarding as it probably should be. Less subjectively, the Early Access build of the game clearly lacks in content, which is promised to be delivered later. Some players may find it worthwhile to wait for a patch or two before checking this game out, if not flat-out waiting for the 1.0 release. [Early Access Review]

City Tales – Medieval Era is a fantastic city builder that takes its own relaxed approach. Its use of companions and its unique, satisfying building system allow you to create a massive, sprawling kingdom and appreciate some character-driven narrative along the way.

For what it is, HANK: Drowning on Dry Land is fantastic. Short but exceptional, this little love letter to graphic superhero comics is sure to entertain with its great characters, fantastic visuals, and cleverly designed, unconventional gameplay.

The Early Access version of Hungry Horrors is a pretty great introduction to what can be both a unique and incredibly fun title, one that mixes up its own genre with unique mechanics and shows off some very fun character writing and creature designs. I highly recommend this game, even in Early Access, and can’t wait to see what comes with the full release. [Early Access Review]

The future for Hytale is promising, so long as the developers follow through with their promises and give the game the attention it deserves. Considering the overwhelmingly positive response to the title, I have no doubt that this will indeed happen, and it shouldn’t take another ten years to see Hytale fully fleshed out...If nothing else, the developers have created a bountiful future for Hytale thanks to the game’s ease of modding, making modding tools readily available to players and using the popular and accessible model creation tool Blockbench as an official development tool. If you ever feel like Hytale doesn’t have enough content, you can trust the game to have tons of mods readily available for you to play, and the game already has some created and available to download, developed before the game even launched. [Early Access Review]

Confidential Killings didn’t always satisfy me with its exploration of its narrative or characters, but it still managed to be an excellent puzzle game, one that uses gritty noir storytelling and pulpy graphic novel visuals as presentation for its challenging brainteasers.

For an unfinished game, ODDCORE is certainly impressive. There is a lot to do in this experience, especially for the price tag, although the incomplete nature does show in a few areas. Most notably, there is a lack of variety in enemy designs and room layouts that, while difficult to notice during the moment-to-moment gameplay due to how fast paced and eerie it is, became more apparent in hindsight. If the game needs anything, it is more variety in its environments and in the enemies encountered within them. [Early Access Review]

DuneCrawl is an exceptional open-world exploration game that allows players to indulge in the fantasy of piloting giant crab war machines. While lacking a bit in exciting progression mechanics and harder to engage with as a solo player, this game is otherwise solid all around and has an incredible fantasy world and visual aesthetic.

StarRupture is an impressive title, even in its Early Access state. While the game clearly needs more content, I am excited to see where it goes as development continues. By the end of its Early Access run, I can easily imagine StarRupture becoming one of the premier base-building games in the genre, standing out for its unique premise, engaging mechanics, and beautiful graphics. I highly recommend checking the game out with friends, but I can also confirm that the solo experience is also really good. [Early Access Review]

Terra Invicta puts the “grand” in grand strategy, offering experienced players a deeply involved strategy game that takes them from a shadow government to a space-faring superpower. That same depth creates a demanding learning curve, however, and the time commitment required may put some newcomers to the genre off.

Cat Named Mojave is the video game equivalent of an independent art film. It may not be as exciting as the latest blockbuster, but it’ll captivate you in ways one never could. Full of striking visuals and a dreadfully good soundtrack, Cat Named Mojave feels like a living dream, one that might infect you with a sensation of dread rather than outright jump scares.

Pioneers of Pagonia is a great city-building title, one which simplifies certain familiar aspects of the genre in order to better introduce its satisfyingly deep production chains and management aspects. Combining production, trade, exploration, and war, this charming city builder should provide the kind of depth genre veterans enjoy with enough accessibility for brand new players to feel just as welcome.

UNBEATABLE combines rhythm gaming with a heartfelt story and incredible characters. The title is punk throughout, both in its messaging and its nontraditional approach to storytelling, and at times feels more like an interactive music video than a video game. In the end, it truly is an “UNBEATABLE” experience.

I’m trying not to judge MIMESIS too harshly. The game is, after all, still in Early Access, and I’m sure has a wealth of content to come as well as improvements on its core mechanics. However, as it currently stands, I just did not find much in the game to appeal to me nor set it apart from others in the genre. The game’s horror does not really work thanks to its cartoony appearance and lackluster death screen, the gameplay does not do enough to set itself apart from others in the genre, and the core mechanic, the mimic, is a sort of gimmicky mechanic that loses its tension as soon as you catch on to it. What is more, the game has nothing to offer a solo player, but if you have a small group of friends, the price of entry is not terrible and the game might have a lot more to offer further on in its development cycle. [Early Access Review]

Though I felt the game’s progression system was somewhat flawed, Death Howl still managed to impress me thoroughly with its incredible storytelling, art, and unique blend of genres, creating something utterly unique and highly memorable.

Skate Story is a fantastic game for fans of the street skating genre, mixing things up with an incredibly unique setting, striking visuals, and thought-provoking ideas, while still encapsulating both the culture and the mechanics of the genre we love.

She’s Leaving is a unique horror game with a strong premise, interesting narrative, atmospheric setting, and unique mechanics. However, said unique mechanics sort of lose their magic when you run into their limitations, something that can also be said about the game’s horror. While it feels like it could have been better with just a little more effort, She’s Leaving is still worth checking out for its story and setting alike.