Zachary Holmes
ISLANDERS: New Shores is a meditative puzzle disguised as a builder. It’s a game about placement, rhythm, and calm thinking. It’s relaxing, rewarding, and quietly brilliant. Whether you’re chasing a leaderboard run or crafting a sleepy island village in Sandbox mode, it offers just enough strategy to keep you engaged and just enough beauty to make you care. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t overwhelm. It invites you to stay a while — and maybe build something a little better each time.
EYES ON THE EXAM is a thrilling mix of panic-inducing exams and eerie mysteries. Stay focused, or face the consequences. A unique indie gem that'll keep you on edge.
REMATCH is a messy, joyful, competitive football experience that manages to feel both nostalgic and fresh. It recaptures the spirit of pick-up football with friends while delivering a high-skill arcade sports game that rewards practice and coordination. It’s not perfect – there are bugs, balance quirks, and the lack of offline content is a sore point – but it's an undeniably fun and engaging game with strong foundations.
Empyreal offers a deep dive into a mysterious world with challenging gameplay and rich features. Dive in for a rewarding action RPG experience!
Super Engine GT Turbo SPEC is fun, accessible, and charming in its presentation, but ultimately limited in scope. It looks the part, plays smoothly, and feels nostalgic, but it runs out of gas too quickly for serious racing fans.
Monster Train 2 is a masterclass in sequel design. It retains the soul of its predecessor while expanding on every front—mechanics, content, and accessibility. It’s chaotic, strategic, and endlessly replayable. One of the greatest roguelike deckbuilders of all time just got even better. And yeah, Lazarus League for life, bay bee.
Malys is a devilishly captivating blend of strategy and deckbuilding. Dive into the dark, twisted world, exorcise demons, and embrace the challenging rogue-lite experience.
An electrifying mix of rhythm, platforming, and rebellion. ANTRO's unique blend of music and action keeps the adrenaline pumping. Join the revolution!
Ruffy and the Riverside doesn’t just ask you to beat the level. It asks you to imagine a better one. While a few mechanical hiccups hold it back from being perfect, the game more than makes up for it with innovation, heart, and sheer creative freedom.
H.A.D.E.S Zero delivers intense survival horror vibes with its eerie atmosphere and challenging gameplay. Explore, strategize, and fight to survive against nightmarish biotech foes.
Dune: Awakening delivers a unique survival MMO that captures the essence of the Dune universe while offering solid crafting, PvP, and social systems. Whether you want to build a desert empire, explore lore-rich ruins, or just glide over sand dunes with friends, there’s something here for every type of player. It still needs polish and more structured endgame content, but with active development and a committed community, the future looks bright. If you're a Dune fan or survival sandbox enthusiast, this one’s a must-play.
Date Everything! is much more than its title joke. It’s a vibrant, lovingly crafted, deeply strange meditation on human connection. Whether you’re romancing a haunted blender or unpacking grief through a flirtatious coat rack, the emotional payoff is real.
Infected Dawn offers a tense mix of strategic resource management and eerie exploration—an immersive survival challenge for true zombie aficionados.
Surprisingly deep, occasionally repetitive, and always charming. Nice Day for Fishing proves you don’t need a sword to be a hero—just a good rod and a better hat.
Aloft offers a refreshing twist on survival games with its unique skybound setting and co-op gameplay. Building skyships and exploring floating islands make for an exhilarating adventure.
Star Overdrive is a bold love letter to fast-paced adventure games. It mixes hoverboard tricking, keytar-powered combat, and rich environmental design into a compact, replayable package. There’s nothing else quite like it this year.
Rooftops & Alleys is what happens when a developer builds a game with a single mission: honor the joy of movement. It’s not trying to compete with AAA action titles or narrative-driven indies. It just wants you to feel free, fluid, and occasionally like a parkour god. And in that mission? It succeeds.
The Brothers Hotel is indie horror that punches above its weight. It’s messy in places, yes. But it's also bold, unsettling, and deeply personal. The graffiti mechanic isn’t just a gimmick—it’s a metaphor. The atmosphere isn’t just scary—it’s oppressive. And the story isn’t just dark—it’s self-aware in a way few horror games attempt.
SONOKUNI isn’t a mainstream crowd-pleaser. It’s not supposed to be. It’s an underground hit—loud, unfiltered, and unapologetically raw. It carves its own lane with a katana in one hand and a mic in the other. You won’t walk away unmoved. Whether it frustrates you or fills you with god-tier timing swagger, it’s unforgettable.
White Knuckle is a brutal, brilliant climbing game trapped inside a skin of industrial horror. It doesn’t beg for your attention—it demands your focus, your patience, and your respect. Every run is an exercise in tension. Every death is a lesson. And every inch climbed feels like defiance. There’s work to be done before it reaches its full potential. The enemy design needs rethinking. The meta-progression needs more teeth. But the foundation? Rock solid. If the devs stick the landing, White Knuckle could become the Spelunky of vertical horror. Right now, it’s a cult hit waiting to explode.