Unholy Heights is a perfectly fine tower defense and management title, but it never manages to feel like an accomplishment. Instead, it feels like an experience the player participates in, like the game itself is garnering a lot of the glory due to being about setting things up and waiting. While it's nice to watch the slum hovel turn into a real swanky complex, and the battle system is just deep enough to feel manageable, the experience just feels a bit too out of control to be truly engaging.
Styx: Shards of Darkness sometimes feels like it's the purposely edgy teenager who doesn't want you to like it. It's, by all means, a game any stealth fan should try, but it's not going to grab and keep you coming back for more. Instead, it feels like wading through mud, and the payoff you're receiving is too small to really gloat about. There's potential here, but behind buggy AI, clumsy controls and a lead character who is more annoying than likable, it all feels for naught.
Journey is a masterpiece, one that still holds up well years after it came out. It's indicative of the industry that there still doesn't feel like there's anything else like it. Many could call it the original walking simulator, but in reality, it was a game that proved that what we perceive as a game or not may be wildly wrong. It's hard to find an experience that can make being wrong so enjoyable.
Chime Sharp is a powerful example of giving the player all the power they need to succeed. While at first it may seem a bit aimless, once you get a good grasp on what you're doing, it's genuinely exciting. With unlockable game modes for each track, and a great soundtrack, Chime Sharp is a casual game that should satiate any puzzle fan.
Candle may have some traditional adventure game aspects, but it does just enough to feel like a brand-new game unlike any you've ever played. While it's doing some things differently, it knows how to hold back, and finds the mix between old and new. Its refinement of the old ensures, even when it falters, it has a strong enough foundation to keep you enjoying it all the way through to the end.
Ginger: Beyond the Crystal is great, but whether you'll like it comes down to whether or not you're okay never feeling challenged. Once the basics are down, it's the same experience throughout. While there's definitely some technical issues, it's still a solid title any fan of 3D platformers should take a crack at - but if you need a game that will evolve as you progress, this isn't going to scratch that itch.
Spiritsphere is incredibly fun when it focuses on its competitive nature. It doesn't really feel very exciting when it tries to be a solo experience, but it does manage to be a breath of fresh air in local competitive e-sports. Perhaps with an online component, it could become a sports and Zelda fan's dream title. Until then, though, it's still a whole lot fun in a somewhat unconventional package.
Phoning Home doesn't seem to want to be the flashiest of the survival genre. Instead, it seems to want to be the most accessible and the strongest. While it doesn't always succeed, it hits enough of the right notes to be both a recommendation and a surprisingly unique member of the survival genre. With a bit of polish, it could easily be one of the best.
Save the Ninja Clan is a solid platformer that might be a bit overzealous in the difficulty department, and may not be the prettiest thing you've ever seen. Still, it's a good way to spend your time, and while it may not feel fresh, it definitely feels complete. While it feels like a fairly typical platforming experience, it's a great experience nonetheless.
A Pixel Story is as close to perfect as a game can get, but it falls a bit short. It highlights a lot of the issues other Metroidvania games have, and can feel like an aimless walk from time to time. Rest assured, though, every annoyance you stumble across will be paid back in kind, and with a game so fun and enticing, you may find yourself lost in the System, as well.
Flywrench may be hard to explain, but it's not hard at all to recommend. The difficulty manages to be mostly fair and wildly satisfying. While it may take some getting used to, it would be a disservice to yourself not to at least try out this indie underground legend, now that it's finally coming to the mainstream.
Uncanny Valley is going to catch some players' eyes, and leave a lot of others wondering if they missed something. The painful truth is that they didn't. The game is often too counterproductive to be enjoyed, as it manages to tackle every good idea with a bad one. At first, it feels like Silent Hill, then the dread sets in that it might just be the parts people were indifferent to, or didn't like. Any survival horror fan should check it out, but don't expect anything more than a game with a lot of potential that never quite realises it.
Causality takes the tried and true time mechanic many puzzle games use, and gives it a lot of depth. By pacing the introduction of new mechanics, and just being incredibly charming, Causality shows it knows how to mix form and function, and leaves gamers with an experience they truly can't get anywhere else. Its flaws are minor, and this leftfield title is sure to keep you playing with time for a while.
The Technomancer is, after all, a video game. It had time, energy, heart and soul put into it. It never feels lazy, and it never feels like a cash grab. It just never manages to feel inspired or fun. In fact, it manages to be frustrating more than it is fun. Perhaps you'll find a nugget of charm underneath all the tedium. Unfortunately, The Technomancer only really manages to feel bland, if not devoid of life all together.
Was it what you guessed it would be? Fans of puzzle games and first-person shooters alike will probably find a lot to love in Lovely Planet Arcade, but much of the game is spent feeling stupid for something you wouldn't have known anyway. While the simple graphics are charming, and the music leaves a lot to be desired, Lovely Planet Arcade will either feel like a challenging mentor, or a schoolyard bully, depending on how you as a gamer play.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is not only a fully functional party game, but one of the best anyone could pick up. Its rules are very confusing at first, and since new modules get introduced fairly frequently, it can be a bit daunting to try and keep up. Don't be deterred, though, because this is a tense, exciting party title that should never be overlooked, and has plenty of content to fall in love with.
Puzzle Puppers has some issues, but it isn't a bad game by any means. It's just not a particularly good one. Instead, it sits in the middle, seeming like a lot of game design choices that feel safe stacked on top of each other. It's hard to say what could make it stand out, because it's enjoyable for what it is. What it is, unfortunately, is a game that falters for one of the most bizarre reasons out there: it's just too safe.
140 is a charming, difficult, and incredibly short experience that manages to be both sadistic and inviting the entire time it's on. While it may not last too long, it's still a game any platformer or music fan should invest their time into. While a true platforming juggernaut could finish everything in the game in a few hours, it's the only experience like it, and it's one of the best rhythm platformers ever made.
Knee Deep is just as flawed as the souls who traverse its story. The important thing to remember, though, is that it's worth it. The story is original, the gameplay is exciting for how simple it is, and moments rarely feel dull or meaningless. Its wrinkles don't detract from the game enough to keep it from being an absolute must-have for any adventure fan. Hopefully, it'll get the attention it deserves.
Ninja Pizza Girl is an unfortunate example of a game falling apart due to poor execution. It shouldn't be overlooked for platforming or runner fans, but it's not going to change your feelings on either genre. For all it does right, it manages to do twice as much wrong. If the controls were refined, alone, it would be one of the best runners available, but even then, there are too many rough edges to overlook.