House Builder truly is a pleasant surprise. Underneath its somewhat simplistic appearance, the title hides an everlasting fun factor and a well-designed progression system of our abilities. The variety of locations, missions, and types of buildings to be built significantly contributes to the overall fun. This is a far cry from the classic simulations with their excessive realism, which can quickly overwhelm players not used to the genre. For those who know squat about building things in general, House Builder might even teach you some basics in a casual way. The OST is chirpy and catchy. Who knows if this game won’t make certain players of the younger generation crave for a career in construction? There are no major drawbacks to the experience, except perhaps the lack of a free mode to let our imagination run wild. Apart from this, House Builder is undoubtedly a reachable diamond in the small and rocky sphere of simulation games and should be tried as soon as possible!

Without being as effective as Mario Party, The Rabbids: Party of Legends offers a nice experience for a good dose of family fun this summer. The game’s Chinese folklore atmosphere is well made and, provided you appreciate the world of Rabbids, it will entertain the youngest as much as the oldest. The gameplay of the minigames is clear and quick to grasp, allowing everyone to have some immediate fun. Unfortunately, there are way too many similarities and duplicates between the various games.

Considering it was a mobile game, the Xbox port of Rush Rally Origins is a great success. Available at a low price in a fairly complete and stable version, Stephen Brown’s creation is a fine tribute to the exciting world of rally racing with its telegenic aerial views and realistic art direction. Although the game suffers from rather poor graphics and environments as dead as a doornail, the gameplay, the car modelling and the smoke and dust effects caused by the cars are exhilarating and well designed. The lack of a multiplayer mode greatly impairs one’s long-term interest in the game, but Rush Rally Origins nonetheless allows us to quickly have some fun during short gaming sessions.

In the very peculiar world of “visual novels”, few titles really stand out. Even though we tend to hear the same names over and over again, Long Live the Queen is likely to join this list. Whether for one or five games, its many qualities, its replayability and its bleak and mature side are reason enough to give it another go, even if it is to try and find out what else is still hidden. It remains a niche game with its own limitations, and may not appeal to everyone.

Azure Striker GUNVOLT 2 is aimed at a well-informed public that tends to favour a lively gameplay and the mastery of a system over graphic prowess or a serious and intricate scenario. The game experience is straightforward, the progression is pleasant and unlocking the additional content when replaying it is rewarding. Nostalgic Mega Man fans will feel crawling back sensations and perhaps reflexes of yesteryear they thought were long gone while younger players will discover a good ol’ and typical “daddy’s game”.

Despite being promising at first, DreadOut 2 has too many flaws for us to recommend in good conscience to embark on this adventure. Thanks to their level design, some locations manage to create a sense of uneasiness while others are simply bland and insipid. Generally speaking, the bestiary is very well designed and each new encounter sparks something in the player, but when it comes to confrontations, the excitement quickly dies down due to a cumbersome gameplay in these sequences. For our greatest frustration, the bad calibration, the few FedEx quests and the glitches greatly increase the life span of the title and hinder its overall fluidity. It’s in these second-rate conditions that the game’s seven acts end in 7 hours rather than 5. Let us hope the saga comes back in better shape.

Even if Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 comes from another era and tries to climb aboard the retrogaming hype train, it remains a pleasant and complete game for those who can forgive its mishaps and its glitches. This simple and lazy €30 port is best aimed for those fond of couch-coop and those nostalgic of the Forgotten Realms.

The fact that Hazel Sky is not available in the French language does not hinder the progression as its gameplay is enough to enjoy the ride it offers. Nonetheless, if the English language isn’t your cup of tea, you will miss out on the exciting lore that pushed us in willing to discover more about Shane's strange world through a sequel or spin-off. The fact that the Gallery is accessible in-game and from the main menu allows us to find the different items discovered and their descriptions, thus allowing us to read about them at our leisure and enjoy every little drop of detail the title has to offer. We hope that a French adaptation will one day be available to make it more accessible to the French crowd as it would be a real shame to miss out on such an enjoyable adventure with a rich universe due to a lack of it.

Despite its more limited resources compared to other big productions of the genre, Hell Pie plays its cards right and is a declaration of love to 3D platform games. Sluggerfly injects a raw, irreverent, blasphemous and rebellious personality to its title with a good dose of bawdy humour typical of a half-witted teenager. However, the devil is in the details and the studio brilliantly fulfils its promise of reconciling "silly entertainment and meaningful art". Even though it is a bit short and lacks some ingredients, it remains a successful recipe best reserved for a discerning audience.

With the original and unpredictable concept of crossing spiders with dinosaurs, and despite a short lifespan and a relatively frustrating aiming system, Spidersaurs is a rather pleasant game. It is a love letter to Contra that we recommend.

Bright Paw Definitive Edition is a good puzzle game that benefits from an artistic direction with a strong personality – both visually and sonically – pulled by a dynamic narrative distilling its magic drop by drop. However, one might be disappointed by the blatant lack of challenge enabling the player to enjoy the story without too much effort at the expense of a real sense of accomplishment. Theo’s dreams double the pleasure, but their uneven difficulty can make a brain go from overdrive to completely fried.

With its offbeat universe, its omnipresent dark humour and its numerous references, Charlotte Sutherland presents a pleasant Point and Click game to play. We were slightly disappointed by its extensive accessibility and a help option available at all times would have increased its complexity and allowed each player to approach the game freely. Nevertheless, the impeccable sound design, the extra-caricatural and fantastic characters and an ending with unexpected twists easily compensate for the few blemishes mentioned. In the end, we only have one wish: follow our two friends to the ends of the world in their next adventures.

As it stands, it is difficult for us to fully recommend this Path of Titans. Technically, the concept is really good and original. Even if the lack of diversity in the missions is not very engaging and the Solo experience truly is boring as beans, one can be addicted to the exploration of this world untouched by any civilisation. However, the potential is real, and we have experienced some beautiful and strong emotions with some online encounters. Provided that the developers ensure a regular and qualitative follow-up of the title, getting your hands on it might be worth it!

Soul Hackers 2 follows the tried recipe of Atlus’ recent games. By borrowing all the ingredients from the previous productions without ever really trying to innovate, one is unfortunately forced to compare it to other titles of the genre that are far better. Despite this, it has some undeniable qualities, an extremely rich lore and a really pleasant gameplay – it will undoubtedly satisfy the J-RPG fan or anyone who has never played any of the studio’s previous games.

With its specific graphics, its hyper-intense gameplay, and its scoring system, Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 is a little retrogaming gemstone capable of charming only a small part of today’s gamers made of nostalgic arcade fans of the 90’s and the die-hard scorekeepers who will experience a fully satisfying challenge with this game. This title concludes the trilogy initiated in 2014 in a masterful way by reinventing itself with the addition of new features while relying on the proven recipes and fan service of the series’ entire cast.

80's OVERDRIVE is a title that will undoubtedly please the old-timers with its extremely simple gameplay, and without any headache... A kind of love letter to that era. Despite a career mode that is a bit flawed and the participation fees for each race can be a problem, the music and the time trial still make you want to go back.

To say that we liked Tinykin is an understatement. With great qualities (in its miniature universe), it almost leaves us with a taste of too little as we devoured it without restraint. Our character reacts with great ease. Navigating through the different levels is a real pleasure, especially since they are full of details and corners to explore. If you are a fan of platform games and completion, go for it!

Even though Islets is not a bad game per se, it vainly tries to mimic its predecessors' recipe without understanding their very essence. This results in a flawed and overly simplistic adventure that will only please children and neophytes.

Hobo: Tough Life is a surprising game with great qualities. Unfortunately, by trying to overstep its bounds, the final product remains blunt around the edges. It is nonetheless a very original and pleasant adventure, but one that will quickly be forgotten.

It is hard to really get excited about SBK 22: the game will not surprise anyone as it is essentially a carbon copy of the previous MotoGP games developed by the studio. Despite a slightly more accessible gameplay and a brand-new race format, we would have liked a bit more highlight on the Superbike Championship’s specificities. It nonetheless remains a decent and complete game that will allow fans to indulge with the pilots and tracks they love at a reduced price until a next episode that will hopefully stand on his own two feet.

For their first title, the Canadians from Norsfell have designed what appears to be an interesting game filled with good intentions, but it is unfortunately not sufficient. We enjoyed the two game modes available, and there is room to add a few more including PvP and PvPvE modes that could undoubtedly attract more players. The combat and the exploration are both a bit dull and overly repetitive. On the other hand, the free Battle Pass, the less restrictive Survival mode, the challenges and the many associated rewards are reason enough to go on farming. Despite its shortcomings, playing Midgard in single player is far from torture, and it is rather entertaining in multiplayer!

OPUS: Echo of Starsong - Full Bloom Edition is an excellent surprise, provided you appreciate the visual novel style: plenty of emotional scenes, discussions and a multitude of flashbacks. The ship management and the gorgeous exploration sequences are minimalist but very well thought out and fit perfectly with the nuanced narrative that is at the title’s heart. Although slightly too Manichean, the Thousand Peaks universe is rich, realistic and it fully deserves to be discovered so one can savour the adventures of its endearing heroes.

While surely aimed at young players, the title nonetheless develops a relaxing and pleasant vibe that is much appreciated by the big kids that we are. The OST contributes to this chill and bucolic atmosphere, as does the soothing rhythm of the adventure. However, you should not be fooled by the somewhat slow start or the long, childish dialogues, because Hokko Life remains a good alternative to the plethora of sim games available on the market. Even if not as well polished on certain aspects compared to its competitors, the freedom granted to the player, the palliative progression and the simplicity of the adventure allow us to take a well-deserved break in our daily life filled with ups and downs. Is that not what it is all about?

Despite the developers' decision to address a quite unusual theme, To Leave will not leave an unforgettable mark in our hearts. Despite an annoying sound glitch, the title was nonetheless beautifully designed. However, its ill-balanced difficulty, its short lifespan and its lack of replayability push it down further into the ground. Incidentally, its price range will probably not help it find an audience either.

River City Girls Zero is clearly aimed at an ultra-specific audience who have been following the adventures of Kunio-kun's merry gang for years without having been able to get their hands on this historical opus and who are probably gnawing their teeth while waiting for River City Girls 2. We can salute the initiative of bringing out this particular episode which marked the timid beginnings of the hot-blooded Misako and Kyōko the ingenue as playable characters. Despite its new, tangy and shimmering coating, the twenty-eight-year-old pill is a bit hard to swallow nowadays.

You Suck at Parking proposes a tried and tested formula and is less demanding than a Trials game. Unfortunately, it is also not up to the fun level of a Supermarket Shriek. Despite this, the family-friendly nature of the title will keep you on the edge of your seat for a few hours, oscillating between personal satisfaction and frustration. For the substantial price of €19.99, it is a shame that Happy Volcano’s baby offers so few elements that can be unlocked in-game without using a credit card. Lucky for Game Pass owners, the game has been available for download on the service since 14th of September 2022. In the end, You Suck at Parking has all the keys in hand to become something worthwhile and is quite promising in terms of new challenges.

Castle Walker is a simple, yet very slow game to play. It will hardly suit fans of old school Castlevania because of the cumbersome gameplay and its disconcerting ease. Furthermore, on Xbox One at least, the game suffers from some pretty bad framerate issues in the later levels, which tends to make the experience even harder to enjoy. The title is nevertheless offered at a very low price and can still be a nice experience if you lower your standards.

Circus Electrique is a remarkable title that deserves to be appreciated for what it is and not solely be considered a “niche game” amongst others. Far superior to what Darkest Dungeon could offer in its time, it also manages with a disconcerting ease to sublimate its management part. Some features could be improved and polished, but considering the quality and passion exuding from each of its pixels, criticising it would be ludicrous.