While there are some gaping holes in its story, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy tells a fun, swashbuckling story that stuns with amazing visuals and performances. The puzzles are excellent, but the same can't be said for the basic swordplay that runs thin or the chokingly linear exploration.
Permadeath rogues and randomised Mystery Dungeons are an acquired taste as is, let alone being a Dragon Quest IV spinoff. However, despite it being one of the first of its kind, Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko's Mystery Dungeon Classic HD still manages to be engrossing and stimulating. It probably didn't even need the visual overhaul, but it's an appreciated bonus that breathes a bit of life into this belated release.
Beast of Reincarnation might be Game Freak's first AAA game, but it still feels like an AA game in the best way possible. The narrative and its execution won't deliver on its full potential, but the exploration and action are top-notch. The final stretch is where everything comes together and shines its brightest, leaving a powerful lasting impression for those who stick with it.
Most Western RPGs have been overshadowed this year by an incredible run of JRPGs, both those already released and several more looming on the horizon in the coming months. Against that backdrop, The Blood of Dawnwalker might genuinely be one of the best games 2026 has to offer. It has it all and then some, constantly surprising with consummate professionalism and polish.
Words can hardly capture the wonders within Elden Ring. Apart from a few cheap boss battles, this is one of the best action RPGs ever made. Tarnished Edition is as complete as it gets and contains roughly three games' worth of content. Why can't all games be crafted with this much vision and boldness? The lunacy of it looking and running as well as it does on Nintendo Switch 2 makes this an absolute must-have for the console.
The way Chapter 5 plays out, it feels like all the cool stuff from Chapter 4 either didn’t happen or was retconned at the last minute. Understandably, Toby Fox wanted a chapter that was a "calm before the storm" that depicts the final days of innocence, but this was not the way. A lot of scenes are unearned, and the writing is not up to his typical level of quality. Thankfully, the gameplay is amusing, and the way old mechanics are remixed and recontextualised breathes some life into this otherwise uneventful day at the festival.
In the heat of the moment, The Prisoner is every bit as excellent as REANIMAL's core game. The fun ends when a bug pops up and crashes the game, leaving players frustrated and hungry when it's over so soon. A little more to do would have been appreciated. REANIMAL's foundation is very strong when it works, and the developer has an eye for visuals and storytelling. They just need to do more of it and let players stew in the world they created.
The Sinking City 2 doesn't quite reach the level of polish in some of the lesser recent RE Engine Resident Evil entries, nor does it have what it takes to contend with the recent Silent Hill revival or even newcomers like Cronos: The New Dawn. It's a bit too derivative at its worst, and the looming shadow of its rotten predecessor still grips its design philosophy. It's a dramatic improvement for the most part, if a bit generic. There's a solid foundation here to be sure, even if it's still waterlogged. Horror fans will likely enjoy their time in Arkham due to the ambience and monsters, but it still needs more of an X-factor to go toe-to-toe with the major leagues.
UFO -A Day in the Life- isn't really about extraterrestrials and more about seeing the everyday world and the unnoticed mundanities within it with fresh, patient eyes. It may not be the most engrossing adventure game, nor is it all that witty or have compelling gameplay. What it does well is capturing bite-sized human stories that range from depressing to amusing to... whatever a bald guy who likes to dress up and act like a baby is supposed to evoke. There's no putting a price on that.
Lies of P comes closest to capturing FromSoft's signature style, and in some ways, it pushes the genre forward with its innovative weapon-building system and expanded customisation options. The reimagining of a familiar folktale is novel, and the sheer density of content on offer is more than generous. Sometimes it feels like the designers are creating a game that could be their final masterpiece, pouring everything they have into it. Nothing is held back, and every step of the way it surprises with something new.
Disgaea Mayhem is so close to being a decent game. It's held back by the most mindless and unimaginative battles ever conceived in a Dynasty Warriors clone. There are no generals to protect or outposts. No compelling winning or losing conditions. There aren't even that many foes to beat. The only thing N.A. has to do is slap around 100 cartoon monsters, and he's won. The core Disgaea elements work perfectly for character progression, and even the staple democratic features remain fun and make sense in Mayhem. However, the lacklustre presentation, barren gameplay, and lifeless combat keep it from meeting the standard of quality. At least it was over quickly.
At its core, T.R.A.G. blends 90s-era survival-horror-style fixed-camera exploration and puzzles with energetic beat 'em up combat featuring combos and unique character fighting styles. This hybrid creates enjoyable loops of tense building infiltration alternating with stylish melee action. Though the tank controls feel stiff, the pacing is awesome, and there's enough intrigue to drive the plot forward. The cool late-90s cyberpunk aesthetic, pre-rendered backgrounds, jazzy soundtrack, and anime-inspired characters truly give this game a nostalgic feeling that's been long gone. It’s a B-movie tale of a terrorist tower takeover that serves up over-the-top hilarity with an endearing cheesiness, and the stiff English voice acting is a legendary experience that must be heard.
Splatoon Raiders maintains its infectious ink-shooting core but remixes it into a loot-driven, gadget-enhanced adventure RPG. It sacrifices competitive multiplayer for deeper single-player/co-op depth, customisation, and narrative focus, offering a fresh direction that complements rather than replaces the mainline games. After a trilogy of Turf Wars, it feels good to finally work together with other players on an adventure on such a grand scale. Splatoon 3 isn't going anywhere, and even Splatoon 2 is still active, making Raiders absolutely a justified experience.
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is impressively polished, with gameplay that invites experimentation by offering multiple creative solutions instead of just one correct approach. This flexibility, paired with responsive physics and clear visual feedback, makes puzzle solving satisfying and central to the overall progression. The bouncy, chunky graphics paired with the uppity chiptune create an atmosphere that's fun, inviting, and nostalgic, without ever feeling cloying or overdone. It's the kind of game that perfectly nails what it sets out to do, while going above and beyond expectations.
D-topia puts up a convincing front of being a wagie-sim at first, but at its core, it's a very human adventure game where players are given free rein on who they interact with. It's like THX 1138 with Social Links. There's a little Gattaca and Wall-E in this too, but with puzzles inspired by The Witness. If any of this sounds appealing, then expect to enjoy time helping people out in D-topia.
Bat Boy needed more of an X-factor to stand out in the sea of retro-inspired games. The predictable and tired loop without enough variety to stay fresh makes it blur into the miasma of 8-bit action platformers. The visual design doesn’t pack much punch, and the whole experience wraps up too quickly to develop any real momentum. With so many great retro-style action platformers out there, Bat Boy ends up feeling too average to make any lasting impression.
Skate Story balances laidback hub exploration with intense, high-stakes objectives. Boss battles and key challenges deliver thrilling highs, while poetic narration and quirky characters offer welcomed moments to breathe. Don't expect to fully understand the story because it's more abstract than a David Lynch film. Grinding for collectables or top scores can get a bit repetitive, but the game’s short runtime keeps it feeling fresh even if there is no incentive to come back. In the end, it captures skating as therapy, rebellion, and art; equal parts painful and exhilarating, fragile yet liberating, with mechanics that perfectly complement its unique atmosphere.
Romeo Is a Dead Man is Suda51's most polished and chaotic game he's produced. It's absolutely explosive with style, and while it takes a little bit for the gameplay to open up, once it does, it becomes very hard to put down. It's packed with content like the optional randomised dungeons, and it takes a long time to max out Romeo's weapons and Bastards, which makes it rewarding to go back and get revenge on those Rotters that were such a hassle the first time around.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth's story, while light, ties beautifully into Deedlit’s personal arc of grief and acceptance, giving emotional weight to the exploration. It respects the source material while delivering a focused, replayable experience with New Game+ and boss rush modes. The gameplay mechanics and presentation are exceptional; some of the best seen in the genre. While it may be too lean for its own good and leave some gamers wanting more after it wraps up, it might be a blessing in disguise, as most games like this tend to breach the 20-hour range.
How much enjoyment one can get from House of Necrosis solely depends on their endurance and pain tolerance. Sometimes RNG can leave players walking crooked for a week after an unbelievably sour turn of events. The sting is indescribable and will make anyone thrust their fists to the sky to curse the developer, while seething and foaming at the mouth. Nonetheless, House of Necrosis is one of the most rewarding and thrilling experiences a horror maniac can have, so long as they have the guts to brave its floors.