The wonderful irony of The Magic Circle is that despite the extreme cynicism that informed its creation, it's actually representative of many of the positive aspects of modern gaming. Its biting humour and brilliant premise place it as part of a vanguard of indie titles keeping videogames more alive and engaging than ever, beneath the AAA mire. It's a very human product and, as such, makes some very human mistakes (most notably dreaming up amazing gameplay systems that vastly outstrip its own scope), but that's an acceptable price to pay for a work of genuine creative vision.
The "anything goes" style of game design employed by Dragon's Dogma is destined to fuel endless discussion regarding its pros and cons. It's no exception to the jack of all trades adage, but it has almost mastered enough things that it transcends the faceless, homogeneous garbage that such attempts at broad appeal usually result in. It's best described as consistently imperfect, which is more of a recommendation than it sounds. After all, a report card of straight Bs is preferable to one that's half A, half F.
The number of abilities successfully translated from "scripted sequences only" to organic gameplay is usually a solid metric of an action game's quality, and by that criteria, SUPERHOT excels. Its intense gameplay and layered narrative will delight fans of both the aggressive and the analytical simultaneously. While a lot of its innovation is clearly untested, its memetic presence is sure to be a talking point among indie fans for a long time to come.
The irony of this re-release's subtitle is staggering. It's easy to become jaded with the experimental indie scene after seeing so many promising concepts fall flat, but Life Goes On: Done to Death accomplishes the difficult task of being both wonderfully original and fully realised. There's nothing life-changing here, but the healthy mix of personality, accessibility, and challenge makes it pretty much solid from start to finish.
Tacoma's top-notch story and presentation are arranged into an inappropriate structure that will dull the experience, even for fans of exploration games.
For Honor's tactical, forceful swordplay is extremely well-executed, especially for a first attempt. It's just a shame it's attached to so many distractions, including a bewildering story mode.
While pretty light on new features (particularly ones that could have contributed to its cooperative nature), Killing Floor 2 is still an unrelenting deluge of mindless, entertaining violence.
Graceful Explosion Machine certainly lives up to its name, but narrow-minded design and a complete lack of multiplayer deflate the experience.
Dodgy controls nearly ruin this lovably hyperactive ball of imagination.
Telltale's minimalist gameplay is exaggerated further in Batman: The Enemy Within - Episode 2: The Pact, to its benefit, but the plot seems to have been fumbled in the process.
If you can ignore its feeble storytelling and abysmal final act, Light Fall provides some quick, engaging platforming on an eye-popping canvas.
Pikuniku is simple, silly, and ultimately kind of pointless. That being said, if you're looking for a short, feel-good experience, it might be up your alley.
Tech Support: Error Unknown brings its own ideas to life in great detail, but it's missing the emotional core of Papers, Please.
Equal parts beautiful, repulsive, simplistic, and mature, A Plague Tale: Innocence is difficult to recommend but impossible to dismiss.
One Finger Death Punch 2 is a fun but lazy sequel that succeeds and fails entirely on the merits of its predecessor.
Exit the Gungeon is neither as sharp nor as complete as it could be, but its foundation is so strong that it can be great fun regardless.
The scattershot influences of Star Renegades make for a complex and engaging experience that often seems to be barely holding it all together.
Paradise Killer is a smart, imaginative tale supported by barebones gameplay and wrapped in a highly subjective presentation.
The developers at Haemimont Games have taken their series apart and reassembled it in a whole new way, and while the result is riddled with flaws, it's also charming, funny, and welcoming to newcomers and veterans alike. As aimless steps away from stagnation go, that's a pretty solid one.
Documentaries aren't known for being the most exciting experiences in the world, and, therefore, it should come as no surprise that a documentary-esque "game" is only mildly engaging. That being said, compared to the mental illness emulation of Depression Quest, or the political surrealism of The Cat and the Coup, Never Alone is a highly accessible version of the form.