Perhaps not an improvement in every way, Castle of Heart: Retold presents a newer take on the original, fixing some clunky controls and difficulty problems at the cost of a bit of its charm. While a unique take on the platforming genre, this reviewer simply didn’t find himself all too impressed by what Castle of Heart: Retold had to offer, with its unique mechanics feeling more like a briefly interesting gimmick that isn’t upheld by the rest of the experience.

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.

Hades II is everything I wanted and more, expanding upon nearly everything in the original and making it bigger, better, and stronger. Supergiant delivers a title that will satisfy existing fans and capture new ones, creating a game that is far more than just a sequel.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is the best arcade racer on the market, especially for PC players. However, the steep price feels too high, even with everything the game offers, and the choice to include characters from outside the franchise while beloved Sonic characters are still missing leaves this reviewer disappointed and a bit perplexed.

Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is gorgeous and creative, but ultimately held back by its core mechanics. Fun characters, great art, and a unique minigame fail to elevate this title beyond its stiff and below-average-for-the-genre gameplay.

As solid as it is, PIGFACE’s greatest flaw is simply that it’s still early on in the development process. For some, I could understand this being enough of a reason to avoid the title and come back to it in its 1.0 release. I, however, say the game is worth giving a chance even now, and that interested players should hop in and give feedback to help the game grow. Who knows just how different it might be when it leaves Early Access? [Early Access Review]

Northwind is incredibly promising. It twists the formula in ways that I really enjoyed and provided a solid, if unfinished, gameplay experience in its Early Access state. I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes of the game as it continues to develop, and to see what the developers make of it when it finally launches. [Early Access Review]

Ale Abbey is a delightful little management game that invites you to brew the day away in a delightful drunk stupor. However, the charm of its unique premise doesn’t outweigh the simple sim mechanics, which can quickly become repetitive and bore the experienced player. A relaxing, if underwhelming, title that sells you more on its setting than its actual gameplay.

However, for more traditional 4X players, this focus on narrative is going to be a point of contention. For some, the focus on story and the way it shapes how you play will be an incredible addition to the formula that makes each new game unique. For others, the constant pop-ups to interact with the story will feel like distractions from the traditional 4X elements they came for. A potential issue I can also see with the storytelling is that the decisions you make are directly responsible for the rewards you receive. Multiple playthroughs will already see players exploring the same story over and over again, and the temptation to pick the optimal reward will discourage players from exploring other options simply for the sake of fully experiencing the narrative. [Early Access Review]

No, I’m Not a Human is a game with a core premise of paranoia and survival compelling enough to make the first playthrough memorable. Unfortunately, its shallow mechanics, weak writing, and limited replay value keep the game from living up to its own hype.

The best part of Town to City, in my opinion, is the game’s voxel style and terrain. The lack of a grid not only creates a lot of buildable freedom, but the style of the models themselves (everything appears to be made of pixels! or tiny little lego bricks), hopefully, will also open the game up to the modding community, allowing for an infinite variety of new buildings to add to your town.

Borderlands 4 elevates the franchise, showcasing the best the gameplay has ever been and greatly improving on the storytelling and writing of Borderlands 3. However, performance issues keep this game away from a perfect score, and I urge would-be buyers to keep an eye on fixes before paying the steep cost of entry for this otherwise incredible title.

Mars Attracts is one of those strange little titles that shouldn’t work nearly as well as it does, and yet it manages to carve out a space for itself with charm, humor, and just the right amount of grotesque absurdity. Even in its Early Access state, there’s already enough here to keep you entertained while also leaving plenty of room for growth, and if the developers can polish up its weaker areas, this could end up being a standout management sim that no one saw coming. [Early Access Review]

Gloomy Eyes feels like a playable Burton short film with enough challenge and heart to stand tall as a great little puzzle-adventure game. It’s not perfect; some puzzles drag, and navigation can sometimes get muddled, but the art style, storytelling, and atmosphere make it a standout experience that’s hard not to fall in love with, especially for anyone with a love of the weird, the charmingly creepy, and the delightfully dark.

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.

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.

While its mechanical satisfaction and feeling of power could use some work, Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel still serves as a solid entry into the survivors-like genre, being especially visually excellent and showing remarkable growth from its Early Access run.

Though its markerless questing mechanics are not as revolutionary for the genre as the game says they are, Hell is Us still plays as a very good Soulslike. Its narrative may be weird in places, but its solid mechanics and incredible setting more than make up for it.

Though it fails as a horror game, Bad Cheese is still a narrative-driven title worth checking out for the strength of its premise, its interesting themes, and the merit of its art. This parody of classic cartoons and Americana might not scare you, but you’ll still find yourself intrigued by what it has to offer.

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 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.

DAVY x JONES was a pleasant surprise; an action-adventure-platformer with a heavy emphasis on style and surrealism, this piratey journey through the sailor’s afterlife is sure to be, if nothing else, memorable. With a surprising amount of polish in the game’s Early Access state, the few issues I had with DAVY x JONES hardly take away from the overall experience, and players who get in on the game now are in for a stable and exciting, albeit unfinished, experience. [Early Access Review]

For a game all about the number four, Quartet packs in way more than four reasons to play it. The story builds into something surprisingly big, the combat has just enough twists to stay fun, and the characters feel alive in ways that matter. The first hours may test your patience, but stick it out and you’ll find yourself hooked. As classic as Quartet may feel, it is just as memorable as its inspirations.

The game, frankly, is amazing, and is incredibly undervalued at just $5. I recommend everyone who has gotten this far in the review go out and purchase the game, because for the price of a good cup of coffee, you can get hours of entertainment from this gem, which only promises to become even more entertaining in the future. [Early Access Review]

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.

Over a decade later, OFF maintains its status as a delightfully bizarre, compelling little narrative that will haunt you far beyond its 5–6 hour runtime. This timeless RPG benefits from the polish and updates in the remaster, but otherwise remains faithfully true to its incredible original incarnation.

Discounty was a surprise, a refreshing mix-up on a familiar genre that adds a lot of depth and complexity to a genre that was starting to feel a bit stale. Somewhere between Stardew Valley and Supermarket Simulator, I highly recommend giving this gem a try.

OVIS LOOP is a shockingly stable and well-put-together Early Access roguelike that’s sure to win over fans of the genre quickly. Its unique mechanics, story, and artistic direction help it to stand out in a genre of games that often wins me over in all three aspects. [Early Access Review]