Working at a gas station and spotting anomalies can be pretty addictive. Trying to complete every last one of them is part of the fun. This series has taken a lot of strides since the first installment, where you worked in the market. They added more mini-games versus mostly just putting things away or organizing signs. There could still be some improvements. The movement can feel pretty awkward. Some of the objectives can be hard to figure out. It’s one of those games that, if you’re hunting for achievements, it can be easily done while being somewhat of a grind at the same time. I can’t wait for what crazy job is in store if they bring in another installment, and what improvements we can expect!

This is a short but sweet mini-horror game that you can pick up for an afternoon or spread out over a few. There isn’t really much to come back to after you finish it, but this is fine because you’ll likely know what you’re getting into if you pick it up. Besides the cool horror part, they have decided to add some silly parts, like balloons falling when you make it through the job. This works fine in similar titles like the Before Exit series, but I’m not a fan of it being in something that’s supposed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Luckily, there isn’t too much of it. When it’s all said and done, the goal of the game was accomplished. To give you a short experience that you can think about and enjoy. To create a creepy atmosphere that has a few jump scares, but doesn’t go overboard.

Sometimes it’s fun to be the one making all of the decisions for a business. There are a lot of items you can order and place where you’d like. Besides running the store, there are a few side things to do, and they’re all going to fill your day. I had a lot of fun ringing people up and making sure I ordered the right items. However, there were some issues I had with ordering, specifically that it did not display how many items I had total, but what I had in the back (not on the floor). There was also the issue of attracting customers to the specific items I wanted, but I guess in the end that wasn’t too big of a deal. No pun intended. Besides a few flaws, there’s a lot to enjoy about the simple mechanics and the small town of people that make sure you know when they’re not happy customers. But that’s common when it comes to consumerism.

I could not get enough of this game while I was playing it. I played for hours every day trying to get everything done. When I accomplished everything I could, I searched for more information on the third protagonist that hasn’t been released yet. It’s the first game in a long time that I couldn’t put down, and when it was time to, I had a hard time doing so. I couldn’t even cover half of what I wanted to in the review. There’s crafting, lockpicking, sneaking, extorting, TV night, poker, and the list goes on. There are so many great moments to experience, and many people will want to do every escape method and bond with every single character. The new game plus works perfectly, and with so much to do, you may spend as much time as I did while being incarcerated.

While most of the game wasn’t too difficult, there were some challenging puzzles that might make you run to a guide on the internet. The story is pretty good, and the reading of journals was welcome. I really liked not having to worry about fighting things or jump scares. It lets you become engrossed in what’s going on and gives you the freedom to do the puzzles without too much stress. They took the game’s death to a step further by playing them out as a mini cut-scene. While I have some gripes with navigation and the ability to skip dialogues, most of the experience was great. If you’re a fan of point-and-click adventures with a love for sci-fi and horror, you won’t want to pass on this!

If you love the idea of arresting people as a police sim, while having the action of an arcade sandbox experience, you won’t regret giving your time to the precinct.

This game is amazing for what it strives to be. It’s an escape room-like horror game where an evil puppet chases you and is filled with cheesy dialogue. The experience was so entertaining and I didn’t mind replaying some of it to get achievements I missed. Most people won’t even have to follow any walkthrough, which is a nice change of pace for games with puzzles. Overall, I did not go into it expecting it to be that great. There are tons of horror games out there that are sub-par and all seem very similar. Some monster or ghost is chasing you and it’s all very dark. Puppet House is different, and that is what I liked about it. While the story wasn’t all that special, it also didn’t take itself too seriously. It’s meant to pay homage to the older stuff, attempting to give you nostalgia (if you’re old enough). It was also paced very well, with a few little jump scares and a satisfying ending.

There’s plenty of horror games out there consisting of a lot of walking with heavy focus on atmosphere and the story. While this isn’t much different in those regards, it does shine above a lot of the others because of it’s use of lights and great graphics. The plot twist at the end will be worth the playthrough, and the multiple endings and collectibles give you something else to go for after finishing. Though this isn’t anything groundbreaking, it is quite impressive for what it is. While I have played many horror games similar, I quickly forget about them. But I believe this one will stick with me for a very long time.

The game looks great, having a seemingly perfect choices in coloring and lightning. The music is void from being annoying and is so constant it sinks into your mind without you realizing it’s still in the background. Puzzles are casual but at the same time thought-provoking, giving you a sense of accomplishment when you finally figure out you were just overthinking things. I really liked the way the game handled jumping, but not so much with turning and putting in/taking out the shapes for the puzzles. They make you pause for a second and wonder what you’re doing wrong, which takes away from the otherwise great flow. You don’t have to worry about sinking hours into this title, as it’s short and allows those who don’t have much time to finish it in an evening. For those that have more time, it might have been nice to have another section of puzzles thrown in. A lot of the ending is the same chase sequence with what could be considered a boss, but there are little breaks between that allow you to go back to doing some puzzles. I really enjoyed my playthrough and even going back to do some of the areas over again to finish up on my achievements was quite welcoming.

You get exactly what is advertised, a casual game anyone can pick up and enjoy where you simply find items hidden throughout various levels. With a few shortcomings with the way things are displayed and interacted with, along with bad loading times, the pure joy of taking your time to find items outshines those. You get to sit back and relax, scanning the screen with your eyes and feeling accomplishment when you finally spot what you’re looking for. If you’re someone who likes to create your own levels, the tools you get to make your own will mean you will be playing for a hours after finishing the game. Either because you are busy making your own levels or just like seeing what others have created. This is the first hidden object game I’ve played like this on the console, and now it won’t be my last.

Without just playing it yourself, it is hard to grasp all of the options that are available in this game. It’s even weird to mention a lot of them because some are such small pieces of the game, yet are really well done. You have an arcade in the town, and you can build mini-games to play, for example. There are events like a Halloween themed one with hide-and-seek. If you like dancing they have that too. How about a blimp that drops random gifts and everyone tries to snag them first. There is so much going that you may feel almost stressed. There are a handful of side quests that are time-based, but everything else you can kind of do on your own. Just let the years pass and take your time if you’d really like. I just wanted to rush through it because my time in Sandrock was taking too long and I have other things to do. I say that after spending 8 full days playing it. If you choose to pick this title up, please remember to feed your cat if you have one. Your time starts to vanish as soon as you hit “new game”.

With a pretty good blend of puzzles and fighting, Brok the InvestiGator doesn’t have very many dull moments. People who don’t normally enjoy this genre might be pleasantly surprised! If you get stuck you can always get the hints, which will tell you exactly what to do next. The story is well-written and the voice acting doesn’t skip a beat. A big bonus is being able to go through the game multiple times to discover all of the endings and scenes. It makes it very replayable, and you actually won’t feel like you’ve completed the story until you’ve run through it a few times to find an ending that you are happy with. I like that there are multiple ways to progress certain encounters, and it was actually fun looking for the Ads which are the collectibles that can be used for hints. I do wish there were a few more cases though, as they kind of took a backseat to Brok’s family drama. Would I play a sequel or DLC? I definitely would. Hopefully, they are finished with this character.

Besides a few things I didn’t think were done right, I can’t argue the fact I kept going back every night to enjoy gathering items and healing what appears to be a very unhealthy group of citizens.

This world is a dark place, and Martha is Dead is a reminder of how fragile mental health is.

I’ve played a few Sherlock games before and really enjoyed them. Chapter One has exceeded all expectations and made the bar very high for all future installments. It’s one of the best games I played this year! Being in an open world and solving cases is pure bliss. At least for people who like crime and solving cases. Don’t let the price fool you, this is a full game with tons of awesome content. It’s just a bonus that it costs less than the average AAA title. When it’s called Chapter One, it gives the impression there are more installments planned. But because technically it’s more of a prequel of sorts, it very well could be by itself and the name could just represent the timeline. I would be thrilled if there are more chapters, especially with the last scene of the game being so exciting. If there’s any indication this version of Sherlock will continue, count me in.

A lot of things combine to make an enjoyable detective adventure. You have moody music, pixel graphics, animal characters, stealth, conversation decisions, and dark noir crime drama. The biggest downfall is sadly the story, specifically the last chapter. Again I don’t want to give anything away because it is worth playing and some will find the twist awesome, but I was not a fan. I would definitely like to experience more of the city, especially as a different character. It’s the type of game setting that opens up a lot of options for sequels or DLC. And if that content is created in the future, I will be thrilled to jump back into the crazy animal city.

Somehow the game doesn’t get boring even when repeating the same levels (because they are never actually the same, they’re random). If you’re after the usual horror games for Halloween this will not give you that craving. However, if you’d rather just have some casual fun within the spirit of ghosts, then you can at least play this on the side.

This is a great game. It’s simple yet challenging. There’s an actual desire to get the maximum score (maybe for me because achievements are tied to it). There is just enough challenge without being a lost cause. If you’re a sucker for time management games, you will not be disappointed! Well, at least I wasn’t. But I also loved a phone game called Sally’s Salon. If you want to sweat at the same time you’re smiling, then this is for you.

While nothing is really stand-out spectacular, all the little things add up to a really fun experience. The way you can check messages, mess around in your room with crafting, go farm items and levels and go on dates makes for a relaxing and almost addictive good time. The story doesn’t have to be taken seriously and has unique situations for every character you meet. I really had a great time in the world. The only things I didn’t care for were based around “not enough”. Not having many dungeons to explore and certain powers being underwhelming was only a slight let-down. There are a few other things that bugged me but not enough to really write about. If they ever make another game like this I’d want to play it. It would just need better monsters and more areas to explore.

For what it is, it’s an extremely well-done game. You won’t be bragging about your perfect mows to anyone but it’s not about the adrenaline rush, it’s about the learning experience you can bring to you in your own life’s decisions. You’ll know more about mowing and a little more about running your own small business. Well, at least I think it helps. I could be wrong, but it will look good on my resume!

The only downfall was the difficulty. I’ve played a bunch of point-and-click games based on Monkey Island and always had an objective or at least an idea of what I had to do. I could figure it out in a reasonable amount of time. Here, I was lost more than a few times, trying to combine and use items on everything in the world. Besides that, which some people will absolutely love, I definitely enjoyed my time exploring the geekiest world I may have ever been to in a video game.

A unique take on a popular genre, which I suppose is mechs. I don’t know if it’s a genre of its own but there are games entirely based on using them. The fighting is awesome and the story is calm and simple. The biggest issue was actually navigating the areas. With slim branches and a camera that is way too close, you’ll be respawning quite often and feel stuck sometimes. The invisible walls need to be shortened, because you can glide for an extreme amount of time going nowhere important before you realize you can’t land on anything. I spent around 10 hours playing with another few sitting idle while I multi-tasked. It’s a really pleasant experience and will eventually grow on you.

An all-around average platformer which has a heavy focus on a story that can be somewhat confusing and leave you wondering what happens. What may set it apart is the voice acting that plays out most of the game. There is constant chatter and it is a pleasant back-and-forth conversation. Some of the puzzles can be pretty fun, especially while in the shadow form. While it’s average, what really gives it high marks is that it’s extremely well done: being able to rewind time; chapter selection; somewhat difficult collectibles; and no glitches to be found; I think it’s a very solid game.

The beauty is both bright and dark, delivering not only one atmosphere to appreciate but two. While the story can be a bit confusing and hard to follow, it still manages to at least put an idea in your head that you can work with. There are a few areas that seem to go on a bit too long but maybe that’s just because I played it twice. The lack of extras and chapter select is especially unfortunate because of there being so many collectibles. It’s a very unique game that has excellent voice acting and terrific music and sound effects. Only a few times did I see stuttering and sometimes there were weird light issues. The things I think need improvement happen to have a very big impact for me when it comes to an overall package. Otherwise, everything else was really well done.

A fresh breath of air, Nine Witches has whacky charm. There were only a few things that could have used a tune-up but even those don’t deter from a great time. I finished it in around five hours and loved every minute. An even longer adventure would have been awesome. The mixture of combat and talking to ghosts really set it aside as a unique gem among the genre. Sometimes the story was a little hard to follow but the pacing was still perfect. I never felt anything was rushed or too slow. The writing and humor were incredible. My hope is that more content with the same characters will be created. It’s franchise-worthy in my opinion!

Exit the Gungeon is a smart remix of the original, streamlining its approach while offering the same intense shoot-em-up action. While it can feel smaller than its predecessor, in no way is it lacking in level variety, weaponry, or personality. Now that the series has a top-down shooter and a sidescroller under its belt, when will we be getting an Enter the Gungeon first-person shooter?

For such a short game, the time seems to run in slow motion as you sneak around. There is no problem at all with the game’s length. Instead, the real struggle is with a lackluster story and movements. Besides these issues, everything else is brilliant. From the stress of being quiet to the chase scenes that leave you needing to take a small break in the comfort of a safe area. It feels like forever since I have played a good stealth game, and now I can say the counter has reset. The uneasiness of walking around the hotel with random jump scares and nerve-wracking sounds is quite remarkable. It’s also very replayable, with two different endings as well as lots of things to collect around the hotel. There are even achievements for completing it without getting hit and without saving. This is an all-around great title to own, especially for horror fans.

Playing through Manifold Garden is a lot like examining an MC Escher work, admiring its beautifully impossible architecture while parsing the complexity of the world. It’s undoubtedly confusing at first, but look close enough and you’ll get a grasp of the mechanics holding this reality together. I’ve played my fair share of first-person puzzle games, and I can’t remember the last time I played something this unique, intelligent and downright beautiful.