Promenade strikes a delicate balance between being a demanding platformer and a highly accessible one. Its brilliant level design and multifaceted mechanics make it a veritable Swiss Army knife of the genre. While those fussier may criticise its almost non-existent storyline, there is no denying that it offers a highly enjoyable experience, as well as bringing a breath of fresh air to the genre. After a success like this, there is no doubt that we will be keeping a close eye on the next productions from the French team at Holy Cap.

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.

Skull and Bones is not the shipwreck that many people made it out to be, but it is not a masterpiece either, and we are a long way from a title that is supposed to represent the AAAA classification that has been claimed so far. The game doesn’t really offer a storyline, but rather a series of missions with little variety, culminating in an endgame mode that we found too time-consuming and repetitive. Fortunately, the combat aspect is pleasant and works well, and the atmosphere is there, with sailors shantying in calm weather and shouting during confrontations. The customisation of your captain and your ship is extensive, although some elements remain blocked behind the infamous “credit card barrier reef”. It must be said that the technical aspects of the title remain stuck in the past, with a game that is aesthetically displeasing, terribly rigid animations and very little interaction with the environment.

This new opus is enriched with mysteries and new graphics, enhanced by the Unreal Engine 4, and will appeal to old and new gamers alike. Let us face it, Evil Nun The Broken Mask is, to our great surprise, a little golden nugget with a successful art direction, exhilarating gameplay, a solid narrative and plenty of puzzles. It is a fine achievement for a low-budget studio like Keplerians, and one that almost won our hearts! We are sorry that Sister Madeleine does not strike fear into your heart, and that there are some glitches with the disappearance of objects linked to our goals. But we would like to say a big thank you to the Keplerians studio for making our wishes come true!

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden blew us away and is an excellent surprise. The studio's expertise in storytelling is once again confirmed, and the overall quality and attention to detail are astonishing. There is a very good balance between storytelling, combat and exploration, each of which is mastered and continues to evolve throughout the adventure. For us and so far, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden truly is the action-RPG of the year.

As we said in the introduction, video game adaptations of manga, apart from One Piece and Dragon Ball, are often fairly average. Unfortunately, Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash is no exception to this rule, and it too delivers a less than flattering copy. Fans of the universe will be pleased to find a full cast and a story mode that covers well enough the early part of the story. On the other hand, the gameplay is faulty with some camera issues, a lack of fluidity in sequences and poor moovesets. The quality of the graphics is also quite a downside, although some of the animations slightly raise the bar and the soundtrack strives to make the whole experience a little more enjoyable. Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash remains a game to be reserved for fans of the licence, but one that we would not recommend as a pure fighting game.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn't the foreshadowed disaster it was meant to be, but it has too many flaws to be fully enjoyable. Its gameplay, while very energetic and relatively easy to get to grips with, is as basic as it gets. Worse still, the missions are repeated over and over until the game bows out. The same is true of the loot and character statistics, which boil down to percentages in tables. In the end, it is only the incredible direction and the four-star cast, buoyed by the omnipresent humour, that salvage this more-than-mixed review. All that remains now is to see whether the next seasons will bring a breath of fresh air, although it is hard to imagine Rocksteady remedy this.

KarmaZoo is a great lesson in cooperative gaming. By placing love at the heart of its identity, the title offers a positive and constructive experience in an era filled with multiplayer game revolving around violence. It is great to constantly have to think about the best way to help your partners achieve a common goal, and not be called names when you fail. In short, this is a true cross-generational masterpiece to be put in everyone’s hands, even for those a bit grumpy.

Song of Nunu is a real success. While the game does not try to reinvent an already well-known and tried formula, it shows that it has perfectly understood its codes and techniques. The story is perfectly paced, the adventure never runs out of steam: how pleasant. With a finale that foreshadows a sequel, it is sad to learn that Riot Games has decided to stop developing Spin Offs from its universe. Song of Nunu will therefore be the swan song of a series of games revolving around League of Legends’ lore.

Thanks to the efforts provided to dust off a cult title that gave the Persona series its credentials, everybody can finally give it a try. Although the structure is a bit outdated, everything has been fine-tuned to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. There is plenty for fans to enjoy, and the title will also be a gateway for newcomers. It is a shame that this version does not include all the content that has been added over the years, but let us not get carried away. To date, Persona 3 Reload is “THE” most accomplished version of this opus, whilst waiting for Persona 3 Reload Festival?

Go Mecha Ball is quite a nice surprise, and its original concept works perfectly. The gameplay is exhilarating and dynamic, and it is a real pleasure to eliminate enemies with the rich arsenal available. It is a shame, however, that the arsenal takes a long time to unlock before you have access to its wide variety, and that the action can be utterly confusing at times. Still, the title should please fans of the genre and perhaps even convince a few curious onlookers.

Lil' Guardsman has plenty of surprises in store for gamers tempted by this wild adventure. Hiding behind its colourful visuals, the title reveals itself to be more mature than anticipated, emphasising the role of responsibility and its consequences. The various gameplay options for interrogations are exciting, but redundant. And, although the encounters with the characters have their share of funny situations, not all the exchanges stand out, due to a narrative that drags on in some parts. Despite some regretful minor details, this globally remains a pleasant experience.

Howl came very close to being a real golden nugget. Thankfully, its low price will allow strategy aficionados to give it a try despite its repetitive nature. Notwithstanding its flaws, the game is nonetheless full of good ideas. All the more reason to hope that the studio's next creation will be a true masterpiece.

If its big brother had already pleasantly surprised us in 2020, Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic manages to surprise us once again. It uses the same “Where is Waldo?” principle of searching for objects, but improves on its recipe with prettier, more detailed and livelier settings and environments. Offering the same scene at different times of the day or with changes in the weather is also a good idea. However, we regret that the campaign is too short and that the soundtrack is barely noticeable.

Much to our delight, the King of Iron First Tournament is back for another round. The game offers a huge amount of content that will enchant fans of the licence, while being perfectly accessible to newcomers. The few offensive additions make for dynamic confrontations, all enhanced by a brand-new Unreal Engine 5. A successful return for Tekken 8, which is comfortably installed on this ninth-generation console.

"Like a Dragon: Inifinite Wealth" is one of the biggest titles of 2024. Anticipated by an ever-growing community, it is sure to delight both long-time fans and those who will be discovering the series on the 26th of January. Worthy of its predecessors, it continues the excellent storytelling that this saga has gifted us with for almost 20 years, and knows how to renew itself and skilfully fine-tune all its gameplay. More than just a video game, it has everything we need to travel, have fun and enjoy an experience worthy of a work of the 7th art. The immersion into the Japanese culture, even when the parody reaches its climax, is simply exquisite. We highly recommend it!

Slava Gris’s work has the merit of immersing the player in themes that are rarely, if ever, exploited in video games. As a result, due to its heavy atmosphere and themes, Fearmonium is not suitable for everybody. A slight lack of finish prevents it from becoming a game one would wholeheartedly recommend. A general update of its ergonomics to address the troubles encountered during our test would be more than welcome. Nonetheless, it remains an attractive proposition in terms of its artistic direction, interesting in the themes it tackles and impressive in the work it achieves.

We thoroughly enjoyed this compilation of the second trilogy in the Ace Attorney series. The many new features, such as the French translation, make it easy to discover these stories, which feature some very rich characters. The scenarios are extremely well written, with plenty of humour and a plethora of twists and turns. It is a delight to follow the various cases, and suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat as situations can be turned upside down following testimony or as soon as a new piece of evidence comes to light. On the other hand, some of the dialogue phases can drag on for a long time, and after a few hours the game can feel a little redundant. Fortunately, the variety of gameplay, which alternates between phases in the courtroom and investigative ones in the field, helps to maintain interest and keep us eagerly following our ongoing cases. The new features and additional content added are real assets to give fans of the licence the desire to rediscover these three titles and, why not, also attract those wishing to learn about the legal adventures of Phoenix Wright, Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes.

Well, there is no need to beat about the bush if you have read the whole review: Baldur’s Gate III more than deserves its status as the best game of the year. It ticks all the boxes, even if you try to find faults or shortcomings. The only caveat is that, as with all games, Baldur’s Gate III is not for everyone. You need to love RPGs, you need to love turn-based combat and you need quite a lot of time to enjoy this adventure.

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the licence, the teams at Ubisoft Montpellier are paying tribute to the legend of the Prince of Persia in a very beautiful way. This 2D metroidvania offers such rich gameplay that you could almost suggest a crossover between Ori and Kratos. The platforming phases are totally mastered and the combat has a range of possibilities that would make some beat ’em all red-faced. Even if the dialogue scenes and the soundtrack do not leave a lasting impression, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is the perfect episode to wait for The Sands of Time’s remake. We would expect nothing less from a studio whose track record includes Rayman and Beyond Good and Evil.

Rough Justice '84 is a game with plenty of potential, both in its narrative and in its gameplay. Unfortunately, players will have to wait for several updates and patches to get the full experience of it. As it stands, the game does not let you get to the end of the adventure. It is a shame, because its graphic identity and atmosphere suggested it might be a little nugget.

Pixel Cafe is a small-scale reflection about customer service in the restaurant industry. All the variables are in place to make us aware of the complexity of the job, while sitting behind a screen with a joystick in hand. Spoiler alert: it is clearly not easy. Despite the catering aspect, you have to learn how to manage your time and deal with unhappy customers, sometimes at the expense of another one. The game does not paint a rosy picture of the job, which has admittedly as many good sides as bad ones. But that is only one side of the story, as the bulk of the game focuses on Pixel's life and its evolution. One can easily identify with her, both in terms of life's hardships and her journey, making for quite an immersive experience. The formula works perfectly and strikes the right balance between narrative and time management. All in all, this Baltoro Games production shines with its rich content, fancy restaurants, well-designed story and clever gameplay. The pixel art is a real charm, and a perfect match for what Pixel Cafe has to offer.

Have a Nice Death is an excellent roguelite, full of humour and with a very nice artistic direction. For its second game, the studio from Montpellier (cocorico!) has set the bar very high. Long, demanding and addictive … while it may be harder to get to grips with than Moonlighter or Hades for newcomers, it remains an excellent pillar of the genre. Needless to say, once you have wandered the corridors of Death Incorporated, you will not be afraid of Death!

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is not the revolution we were expecting. It retains a narrative structure that is fairly close to that of the Far Cry licence, including too many tedious side activities. The similarities with the aforementioned licence are also present in the confrontations, but the title still manages to propose a well-crafted main story that will not bore you. On the other hand, this new baby from Ubisoft is a treat for the eyes. The environments are sublime and every panorama is a dream come true. Combined with the exhilarating parkour and aerial movement, Pandora is a real thrill to explore.

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.

Laika: Aged Through Blood confirms the talent of the teams from Brainwash Gang. The title combines the best of a roguelite with the wealth of a Metroidvania without a single false note, all the while generously revisiting the genres. The difficulty is perfectly balanced, and although the game is designed to be punitive, it never becomes frustrating. Improved by a highly immersive soundtrack and an artistic direction that draws you in from the very first moment, the game is a real nugget. For us, it is a real coup de coeur that we cannot recommend highly enough.

Strange Horticulture is a puzzle game that combines plants and occult forces in a unique adventure. Its intriguing story grips you from start to finish, and its well-thought-out investigation system is well conceived. The main characters present us with some decisive choices, leading to numerous twists and turns with different endings and a high degree of replayability. Strange Horticulture offers an original and enjoyable gaming experience. It is a pity that one quickly feels it repetitiveness, but fans of the genre will be enchanted by this universe. Bad Viking’s creativity shows great promise for their future games, and this is a studio to keep an eye on and root for.

Entering the world of Born of Bread is like stepping into a bakery: you do not know where to look! The game is based on a well-crafted storyline and offers plenty of mouthwatering activities that will appeal to a wide range of players. Admittedly, those most demanding will find fault with a few missions that feel a little reheated or with some smothering glitches. But Tipain’s gang does not sugarcoat the experience and manages to transport us into a bewitching universe as sweet as honey.