I Hate This Place has a strong identity and some genuinely compelling ideas. Its early hours make effective use of sound, darkness, and isolation, and its visual style gives it a personality that’s hard to ignore. But the systems underneath don’t push back hard enough to sustain that tension. Survival becomes comfortable, and for a horror game, that’s just a shame and something I can’t ignore. I didn’t hate my time with I Hate This Place, but it could have been so much better.
Code Vein II clearly wants to be more than a continuation of the first game. The shift in structure gives the world more room to breathe, and the combat still rewards players who like to adjust, experiment, and find their own rhythm. But that extra space comes at a cost. The open world softens the pressure that once kept everything moving forward, and the technical rough edges tend to show up exactly when clarity matters most. I enjoyed my time with Code Vein II, even when it tested my patience. I just kept thinking how much stronger it could have been with a tighter focus.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains a deeply comforting experience, and in 2026, it’s still easy to get lost on your island. The free 3.0 update adds meaningful content and long-requested quality-of-life improvements that certainly offer more than enough content for both new and returning players. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition itself is more modest, focusing on stability, visual clarity, and convenience rather than new gameplay. Together, they form the most complete and comfortable version of New Horizons to date.
Big Hops isn’t trying to reinvent 3D platforming. It’s refining a specific sensation; that satisfaction of staying in motion, of choosing flow over correction, and of trusting your hands to figure things out before your head does.
Project Motor Racing isn’t broken, but it is frustrating. It’s the kind of game that constantly reminds you of what it’s trying to be, rather than letting you forget and simply race. There are sparks of potential here, but they’re buried beneath awkward pacing, inconsistent handling, and a lack of player-centric design.
This is not a game that tries to convince you it belongs in the Prince of Persia lineage. It assumes that if you care about movement, rhythm, and personal accountability, you’ll feel the connection on your own. And honestly, that confidence is what makes it work. Yes, repetition is part of the package. Long sessions can blur together, and if roguelikes aren’t your thing, this won’t suddenly change your mind. But if you enjoy games that reward improvement over accumulation, and flow over spectacle, The Rogue Prince of Persia hits a very satisfying balance.
As an extension of Frontiers of Pandora, it respects the world, the player, and the space between action and consequence.
Skate Story isn’t a game I’d recommend to everyone, but it is a game I’m glad exists. On Nintendo Switch 2, it feels like it’s finally playing the way it was meant to be played. Smooth, focused, and quietly confident in what it’s doing. It’s a game about movement, failure, and finding flow on your own terms. One that lingers in your head longer than you expect. And sometimes, that’s worth more than any perfectly executed trick.
It is a genuinely strong, often beautiful JRPG that understands what worked in Octopath and what needed to change. The tighter central narrative around Wishvale gives it a beating heart. The expanded combat systems turn every encounter into a playground for people who love numbers and synergies.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is both a farewell and a celebration. It doesn’t rewrite what the genre is; it just perfects how it fits into Zelda’s mythology. The pacing is smoother, the combat smarter, and the story stronger than ever. It’s not for everyone, you’ll still spend most of your time tearing through armies, but it’s done with such flair, such affection for the world it expands, that it’s hard not to get swept up in it. For long-time Zelda fans, this feels like closure. For Musou fans, it’s a technical victory. And for everyone in between, it’s just a great time to lose yourself in chaos one last time.
Tales of Xillia Remastered doesn’t beg for attention, and maybe that’s why it feels so timeless. It’s comfortable in its own skin, faster, cleaner, but still true to the spirit that made it special. It remembers that character-driven storytelling and fluid combat are what keep people coming back, not photorealism or open-world checklists.
Even with its familiar structure, The Outer Worlds 2 is easy to recommend. The combat is tight, the writing cuts, and the player agency still feels substantial. It’s a smarter, smoother, and more technically reliable sequel that doesn’t lose the soul of the original. If you loved the first game, you’ll feel right at home. If you skipped it, this is the perfect place to jump in. Build your misfit, pick your lies, and see who believes you.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a comeback. It’s fast, it’s furious, and it honours the legacy while turning up the tempo. Yakumo leads the charge with new mechanics, Ryu anchors it with familiar weight, traversal soars, combat slashes, bosses challenge. It isn’t flawless, repetition, some structuring echo past entries, and if you binge it you might feel the edges. But what it does best, it does with conviction. For fans of pure, no-nonsense action games, this hits hard. For those new to the series, it provides an accessible entry point without diluting the punch.
Keeper is a game about finding light in ruin. About learning to move again after everything has fallen apart. It’s intimate, strange, and quietly devastating, exactly the kind of game only Double Fine could make. It’s short, yes, but meaningful from the first frame to the last. And when it’s over, it lingers. The kind of game that doesn’t just end, it stays with you.
Time Stranger doesn’t reinvent Digimon, but it refines almost everything that makes it worth playing. The story finds its rhythm, the combat feels sharp, and the world finally looks like everything we ever wished for.
A comfort game, respectful and polished, just not remarkable.