Hell is Us stands out as an unusual experience, a deliberate return to the roots of old-school games where deep thinking and intuitive exploration take precedence over modern hand-holding. In this supernatural and gloomy universe, the subtle and disturbing soundscape plays a key role in immersion, while addressing universal themes of the human condition. But this boldness has a downside. By trying too hard to play on complexity and the absence of reference points, the game risks losing its players in its twists and turns. The constant back-and-forth, limited bestiary, predictable combat and uninspired AI make the player's interest run out of steam, especially for those who do not have a keen visual memory or endless patience. Hell is Us fascinates as much as it divides. It is a demanding, sometimes frustrating work that will only appeal to the most daring and tenacious players.

The Quarry is to video games what most slashers of the ’90s are to movies: a guilty pleasure in dire need of a breath of fresh air. Despite it all, playing the latest title from Supermassive Games is bonkers if you get its numerous references and dismiss an uneven rhythm and some pointless gameplay phases. Fortunately, its story, its characters and above all its charming aesthetic are enough to keep you around for a while.

While rediscovering this saga is an obvious joy for any shmup lover, we can’t help but quickly notice the many shortcomings. R-Type Final 2 is an honest game made with passion, but it lacks several months of development, and certainly did not need to comply with modern publisher standards with its Season Pass, even though the technical side of things still needs a lot of polish. It’s a shame, but we can hope for a perfectly playable game after a few patches. The R-Type series’ final act is yet to come.

Without much surprise, FIFA 22 is unfortunately the logical continuation of all its predecessors. For its first real opus dedicated to new generation consoles, EA doesn’t manage (and doesn’t want) to fix the repetitive flaws that have plagued its franchise for years and chooses instead to improve the gameplay and atmosphere which are major, but secondary aspects. Even graphically, the evolution remains insignificant and it leaves a sour taste. For FIFA fans, the 22nd episode should, however, be a satisfying vintage subject to a patch that could change everything. For lovers of simulation and real football, it’s best to heed the advice of the legendary Gary Lineker: “FIFA is a simple game: 22 clowns dribble with a ball for 90 minutes and in the end, football still manages to be the real loser.”

“Embrace death.” Despite a very short lifespan and few scenes of actual gameplay, Adios has enough qualities to impact players who will give it a go. Thanks to incredibly well-written dialogues and interesting choices as regards the aesthetic, Mischief’s walking simulator conveys gorgeous feelings. A great sense of sadness can be felt in game and it contrasts with a great and palpable uneasiness. Simultaneously touching and disturbing, this story about a man dedicated to regaining control of his own destiny can be appreciated like a great movie. Inspired by the movie industry to be a work of art on its own, this title exudes love and regret and addresses life and death issues: the story of a man finally at peace with himself. Adios.

Even though The Pathless rehashes themes already tackled in ultra-popular games, it does so brilliantly and allows the experience to be lived under a more dynamic angle. Enchanting, poetic, meditative, epic: there is no shortage of superlatives to describe the experience offered by Giant Squid and we can only congratulate them for the work they have done. The influence of the gameplay on the level design is strongly felt and everything has been done to make the experience as fluid and enjoyable as possible. The feeling of escalation is truly exhilarating until the final climax. Hats off to you guys.

Despite what seems to be some outdated graphics at first, Midnight Fight Express is nonetheless a very good beat them up. Designed like a Hollywood blockbuster, it offers a coherent scenario with an escalating rhythm as the adventure goes on. Thanks to “cyberpunk” electro music pieces and perfectly animated combat phases, the player could be fully immersed. Unfortunately, the presence of dialogue windows between each wave of enemies kind of breaks the pace a bit. We will, however, forgive its few translation errors and occasional glitches. Its day one availability in the Game Pass (Xbox and PC) is also a significant advantage.

When something is enjoyable, it needs to be acknowledged: BROK the InvestiGator is quite impressive. Disguised behind cute and colourful outfits, it presents us a future that nobody would wish for; yet it is not without hope. It is a real treat to tag along these picturesque and well-written characters’ adventures. The COWCAT studio presents us with a small concoction of mixed genres, something quite rare nowadays. As one can guess, the combat part obviously is subpar to what the specialised competition of the genre proposes. So, grab the hero’s scaly paw and dive into the year 3035: you will not regret it!

Throughout this review, we have been quick to point out some of Nocturnal's shortcomings. But make no mistake: even though the game is not perfect, it immediately stands out as one of the gems of the independent scene. An exceptional title as good in form as it is in content. It is a real favourite that you absolutely should not miss.

It would have been very easy for Electronic Arts to rest on its laurels, given that there is no competition whatsoever, but they decided otherwise. EA Sports FC 24's new name brings with it tons of new features such as an improvement in the Frosbyte engine, which looks as good as it feels on the controller. The physics of the athletes is a delight, both in attack and defence. Special mention must also be made of the additions to the career modes, which offer unprecedented depth of play. As for the Club mode, it finally gives the player the chance to fight to the bitter end to reach the Playoffs, giving this co-operative game mode a new lease of life. Whether you are a fan or not and despite a few occasional glitches, FC 24 deserves its place in your game library.

The Last Faith is inspired by some giants of the video game scene, but while it is neither a Bloodborne in 2D nor a Castlevania, it manages to create its own dark and bewitching universe. It still needs to free itself from its influences to override them and become a must-have game. It is a good first step with much more to offer than a shiny outer layer that makes you want to see the rest of Kumi Souls Game’s work. We are confident in their potential: all it takes is a little faith.

Garden Life: A Cosy Simulator is undoubtedly a great game to take a well-needed break. With its splendid art direction, simple gameplay and attention to detail in the flowers and sound effects, you really feel at one with nature. It is poetic and sometimes even forlorn, as you learn more about the main storyline. Unfortunately, the main storyline’s requirements are a little disappointing, too repetitive and similar to the secondary quests, which often require you to accomplish the same objectives. Fortunately, the main interest of this game is creativity, and it offers all the tools you need to express yourself freely.

Despite some flaws, One Piece Odyssey is a fine tribute to the original work. In our opinion, it is the best One Piece video game adaptation to date. On the other hand, it is essential to take into account that the game fully follows the traditional codes of JRPGs, while making them more accessible. The choice of turn-based combats does not do justice to the spectacular battles and moves seen in the anime. But if you are a One Piece fan, you will love the game!

Without any doubts, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is an excellent game, where everything fits perfectly within the Borderlands universe. The offbeat humor, the fast-paced battles, the artistic quality and the game's length make it a must-have title. It's a bit unfortunate that there isn't more melee combat for a Dungeons and Dragons, but the novelty of using spells makes us forget that. Let's hope that the few login issues to join an online session will be solved soon. One last word if you are not convinced yet: Go for it!

We were bouncing off the walls to see the licence go back to its old foundations. Our heart skipped a beat when we first saw the menus and interface taken directly from the last games, but fortunately it went right back on track. The narrative is well paced, and it is a pleasure to follow Basim’s story from his early days in the Brotherhood. However, it is a shame that there is no meta-story in the game, even though it would have been appropriate given the events described in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The fact that infiltration is back at the heart of the gameplay is a real treat. Basim has a plethora of tools and opportunities to hit his targets in all sorts of different ways, thus dispelling our concerns regarding the lack of variety in combat. Finally, as usual, Ubisoft was meticulous as regards the artistic direction, creating a lively, resplendent city of Baghdad that is a delight to explore both from the streets and rooftops.

The 2019 Modern Warfare saga reboot had given a fresh coat of paint to the Call of Duty license thanks to a convincing multiplayer and solo campaign. Three years later, Infinity Ward has come up with an even more accomplished version. The campaign is enjoyable and benefits from a great deal of work on its staging to keep us on our toes. However, some bits and pieces tend to make us sigh. As regards the multiplayer, the 2019 base remains more or less the same with some welcome new features on the camouflage system. Yet, the unlocking of attachments is questionable. All in all, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II turns out to be a great vintage and will undoubtedly be successful.

This title is a real coup de cœur. Its inspired art direction, rich narrative and immersive sound design make it a real masterpiece. Despite an adventure that takes less than two hours to complete, its replayability is at least on the spot. Similarly to a captivating story in which you are the main protagonist, one always goes back for seconds. Belle Game and Arte France have created a very attractive and subtle retelling of Mary Shelley's classic.

While Gori Cuddly Carnage offers a decent longevity and an original idea that could have proved interesting, its desire to be as trashy as possible becomes overkill. As a result, the parody turns into a B-grade production which its redundant and sometimes imprecise gameplay can't save. Maybe we're just not the right audience, maybe we're missing something, but as it stands the game doesn't have a single convincing quality.

Even though Samurai Warriors 5 does not revolutionise the Musou genre, it nonetheless allows newcomers to smoothly start their adventure. It provides an efficient narrative that is simultaneously highlighted by gorgeous cinematics and tainted by a relatively poor staging. Thanks to their experienced background, the team from Omega Force offers us –as always– a solid gameplay with a nice and diverse selection between the 27 warriors. Slaughtering the enemy forces is quite delightful, and what better way to do so than with friends at home? Yet, the outdated technical side is still annoying. To sum up, if you weren’t already a fan of the Musou genre, Samurai Warriors 5 won’t change your mind. Otherwise, you’ll spend some quality time with it.

Sniper Elite 5 may not revolutionise the series, but it is still a fun game to play. The campaign offers well-designed environments, allowing us to choose between many options and paths to progress discreetly – or not – towards the objective. The sniper rifle gameplay remains as solid as ever, and the series’ iconic X-ray killcams are as exhilarating as ever. Unfortunately, the title’s technical design is weak due to stiff animations and textures that are far from pleasing to the eye. The Invasion mode is a nice touch adding a thrilling tension to our sessions and promising some great cat-and-mouse games.

Considering it is coming to the Xbox Game Pass as soon as it is released, everyone should give Party Animals a try. With its cute animals, the game offers some amusing confrontations and, provided it is played with friends, can make for some memorable nights. The gameplay can be frustrating at times due to messy combat, but the fun and extravagant situations are never far away and compensate this well enough. With convincing content from the outset, both in terms of different game modes and avatar customisation, Party Animals has what it takes to make a name for itself.

WRC Generations is KT Racing’s farewell gift to the WRC licence that accompanied it for seven opuses. The French studio could have been satisfied with a last minimum service. Quite far from that, every pixel of WRC Generations exudes the developers’ passion and love for this bewitching mechanical sport that is rallying. Almost all the planets have aligned for this final opus: superb new Rally1, more realistic car physics, a long-awaited convincing artistic direction, and a plethora of content. Far from being perfect, the latter is unfortunately under-exploited. But if we had to keep only one in the whole series, this one would be the precious. A successful ending to a superb adventure! KT Racing will join the greatest of the genre. Our expectations for Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown have never been higher.

Who would have thought that tidying up could be so much fun? A Little to the Left shakes things up with simplicity and fantasy. A videogame UFO with a meditative, calming atmosphere that is diabolically satisfying to play. With its atypical, highly accessible concept, the game offers an original way of bringing puzzle games to life. A genre too often ignored, either because of its classicism or its difficulty.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is certainly not the licence’s renaissance we had been eagerly awaiting. While fun, especially in multiplayer mode, Secret Base's title faces the limitations of a genre that it does not really seek to renew, except through the prism of clichés taken from other genres. It is good fun, with a unique artistic direction that will undoubtedly keep beat'em up fans happy for a while.

Nobody Wants to Die is an immersive narrative experience that excels in its field. Its cyberpunk neo-noir aesthetic blends perfectly with elements of 1940s film noir. With stunning graphics, a remarkable soundtrack and a poignant narrative, the title immerses players in a dark and captivating universe. Despite a few defects and a gameplay that is sometimes too authoritative, it offers a unique and unmissable experience that will appeal to fans of thrillers, investigations and cyberpunk universes.

South of Midnight's adventure is likely to confuse a large number of players. However, the title has some serious assets, particularly with its poetic artistic orientation. In addition, the integration of American myths into Hazel's story offers sensations as pleasant as those felt when a subtle wind from the south comforts you. Unfortunately, the overall experience went south because of completely outmoded technique and repetitive action sequences. It was like discovering a game lost at the beginning of this century because of its overly linear structure. This is highly regrettable, as we would have gladly lost ourselves for a few more hours in the company of Prospero with his endearing characters and excellent soundtrack. Perhaps our wishes will be granted in a possible sequel? Indeed, Xboxygen wishes for this game to find its right direction!

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is aptly named as it is indeed, the fall of an unbalanced dream. The inspired artistic direction, the sensitive characters, the acting in the dubbing and the musical ambience all contribute greatly to the creation of this original and complex universe. Unfortunately, the title is mercilessly weighed down by an unnecessarily complex and ponderous game interface that constantly taunts us with poor gameplay and choices that were deceptive from the get-go. The promise of making “fully informed” decisions by allowing you to go to the other side of the stage and master the mechanics is far from being kept, and that is what makes the title so disappointing. Best reserved for fans of the French studio.

Even if the gameplay mechanics of As Dusk Falls remain specific to the genre, they are right on point. Its unicity comes from its artistic direction and the quality of its writing. The software leans back and forth between an interactive movie and a narrative game. The quality of the dubbing and the soundtrack are just the icing on a skilfully produced and savoury cake. With a substantial lifespan and almost infinite replayability, the title should be a well-deserved triumph. The possibility for co-op sessions or playing with one's community will certainly contribute to this.