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.

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.

While certain elements of the game challenge the traditional playstyle of city builder games, Laysara: Summit Kingdom stands out for its unique theme, challenge, and mechanics. A very different kind of city builder, and one that ventures into a territory never before seen in the genre.

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.

The Legend of Khiimori is a great exploration game that has a ton of promise as its development moves forward. It’s not finished, and it has quite a ways to go until it is, but if it’s caught your eye, I don’t see any harm in giving it a try during Early Access, especially if you’re a big fan of horses or horse games and want something that intricately captures a rider’s experience. [Early Access Review]

While it could do a better job of explaining some of its mechanics, could be a little more complex in its combo-crafting, and doesn’t have the best keyboard controls, Scott Pilgrim EX is still an excellent beat-’em-up game set in the iconic comic book universe. Best enjoyed with friends, this game can still be played and appreciated solo, especially for die-hard fans of Scott Pilgrim.

Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse expertly combines Metroidvania gameplay with a roguelike loop, and presents it all with gorgeous art and beautiful music. While the game can bottleneck your runs by forcing you to return to the hub earlier than you might want to, it still features a fun progression system, solid combat, and good platforming mechanics.

Resident Evil Requiem has everything fans have come to love from the series, combining two very different styles of game into one experience to enjoy. The story is rich, the characters are excellent, and the scares are outstanding, making for what is now likely this Resident Evil devotee’s favorite game in the franchise.

Welcome to Doll Town is short, awkward to play, full of translation errors, and, most importantly, features a strange cognitive dissonance between its heavy subject matter and its awkward, forced use of cringeworthy humor. While the game might find its audience, it failed to charm me and left me disappointed and outright confused by what it had to offer.

Horripilant is a flawed gem: its horror theme and atmosphere are great, its art incredible, and its foundational mechanics and loop are strong. However, the game quickly becomes repetitive due to poor pacing and a lack of substance, especially when it comes to enemy variety. While not the worst way to spend $8, I would personally recommend giving the game some time to see what updates may come.

SealChain: Call of Blood stands out for its unique approach to deckbuilding and its phenomenal art and aesthetic. To some, the game may feel menu-heavy and action-lite, with the poor localization making its mechanics harder to understand. Those who can look past these issues and really engage with the character-building mechanics will likely fall in love with the complexity of the mechanics, the narrative, and the world and characters within.

LOVE ETERNAL is strange, avant-garde, and downright hard, but it never feels cheap or unfair in its challenge. Its experimental storytelling is eerie and engaging, and the controls of the game are buttery-smooth and precise, making for platforming that’s as fun to play as it is challenging.

Demon Tides rocks, combining chill and unique expressive platforming mechanics with an absolutely magnetic cast of characters, some great art, and an overall sense of style all its own.

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.

Styx: Blades of Greed is a master of stealth gaming, with excellently designed levels, incredibly fun stealth and kill mechanics, and a rich and engaging fantasy world to host it all in. Fans of the franchise and newcomers alike are bound to enjoy this third installment in the Styx series, which knows what a stealth gamer wants and executes it flawlessly.

While there are changes that need to be made, Astrobotanica is in a promising state for an Early Access title and shows a lot of potential. Many issues I have with the game are already being addressed by the devs, with a lot of promised content to come in the future. The title has a very interesting premise and a unique world to discover, and while there’s a long way to go to the 1.0 launch, I imagine it’s going to be a fun and interesting testing period until then. I definitely recommend giving the game a try, or waiting a few months if you’re still not sold on what it has to offer. [Early Access Review]

Underboard is a strong roguelike auto battler, featuring some fantastic art, great character designs, and fun-to-execute synergies. While I wish the game had a few more characters in its playable roster and some better progression, I still enjoyed the time I had with it and I’m delighted to see what comes from these developers next.

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.

Mewgenics deserves all its praise and more, delivering a solid monster-rancher premise with strong roguelike gameplay and packaging it all with incredible humor that only the creative minds behind Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac could pull off. You couldn’t swing a cat around in this game without smashing it into something awesome.

REANIMAL far exceeded my expectations, even outdoing the original Little Nightmares with its mature themes, twists on the formula, and genuinely tense and scary gameplay. The original creators of Little Nightmares prove they’ve still got it, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next.

ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN carries on and exemplifies the surreal and violent legacy of Goichi Suda and GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC, creating an exciting, visually stunning, and delightfully confusing adventure with plenty of opportunities for bloody murder.

The 9th Charnel has its problems, but for an indie game made by a solo developer, I was overall pretty impressed by what it had to offer. Its story was interesting, and its visuals were nice; however, the game’s flawed animations, poor sound design in areas, and coin-flip performance may dissuade you from playing. It is, however, deserving of much more attention than it currently has.

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.

While there is some nostalgia there for fans to enjoy, MY HERO ACADEMIA: All’s Justice is overwhelmingly disappointing, providing sub-par gameplay, stiff animation, and a lack of iconic playable stages from the anime. For all but the most diehard My Hero fans, this title is nothing more than an underwhelming and easily forgettable one.

Adaptory is not, by any stretch of the word, a bad game. The developer clearly has passion for the title, and I can definitely see it getting better if they keep working at it. It’s a good thing it’s in Early Access, because there is a lot that needs to be fixed. If you really want to check it out, I say go ahead, but be aware of the current build’s bugs and frustrating AI before you do. [Early Access Review]

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.