Phantom 8 Studio shouldn't be discouraged from future attempts at delivering a cinematic experience of a game on par with triple-A output, because they still have some neat ideas and directions to take.
While it may leave you wanting more in certain areas, Crossing Souls is still an excellent action game with a terrific, gripping story you'll want to see to the very end.
Kirby Battle Royale is by no means a bad game overall, but it just has so little content that it barely warrants a lengthy play session, let alone a purchase. The mini-games themselves are fun and well-designed, but the overall package doesn't do any of them justice. If you need a dose of classic Kirby action, you'd be better off waiting for the upcoming Switch game, because this is one party that you can safely skip going to.
OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes has all of the makings of an astounding beat-'em up thanks to its fun and action-packed combat, as well as a style and flavor in all areas that perfectly matches the show and is guaranteed to please fans. Sadly, it does not have the makings of an astounding RPG, though, and the bare-bones quests and overall story that goes on for too long renders the whole deal overly repetitive.
Simply put, Celeste is a tour de force.
Thanks to an incredible and thought-provoking story, a cast of well-rounded characters, and simple yet highly effective gameplay, The Red Strings Club easily kicks off 2018 on the right foot when it comes to adventure games.
At its core, Genital Jousting is a decent and competent multiplayer game, but once you get your initial chuckles out of the way when it comes to its premise, it becomes clear that what you see on display isn't really going to rise above "decent" and "competent.
Providing terrific arcade action, Shooty Fruity expertly blends together classic shooting galleries with much-appreciated bits of strategy, all thanks to its unique premise that has you trying to manage two different games at once.
While Gorogoa is one of this year's shortest experiences, it's still one that's worth checking out, as it turns a relatively simple idea into one of the year's most compelling and innovative puzzle games.
Reigns: Her Majesty is a terrific sequel that manages to top the original thanks to a few fun additions that add more strategy, a colorful cast that keeps things light-hearted, and an improved and captivating story that makes great use of its premise.
In the end, Battle Chef Brigade's gambit when it comes to its unorthodox blend of ingredients pays off well, resulting in truly stellar duels that reward combat skills, proper planning and strategy, with success not only delivering dishes to make one salivate, but also truly fun gameplay on all fronts.
Even with the issues that arise from massive gaps between checkpoints and a few niggles here and there, Tower 57 is still a blast, accomplishing its goal of reminding us why these types of games from the Amiga era ended up being classics.
What ends up holding Sonic Forces back is that it — ironically — moves too fast to leave any sort of lasting impact, speeding through both its plot and levels in short bursts instead of leaving more time for anything to soak in.
While its longevity may be tied into just how willing players are to shoot for the highest score and go after as many achievements as possible, High Hell is a wicked little shooter that you won't soon be forgetting.
Despite a bit of a hurdle when it comes to difficulty at the beginning, Ruiner is quite the addictive action game, one with a lot of variety in its combat that packs a lot of experimentation into a small package.
Overall, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is yet another excellent installment in the franchise, delivering up another set of grisly murders and the well-crafted conundrums and kangaroo courts that result from them while still keeping a focus on black humor and twisted school life.
Windjammers might not be as glorious a return of a long-forgotten gem as we hoped for, but still provides some fast and addictive old-school arcade action that does indeed showcase why such a game ever became a cult classic in the first place.
We may have to wait for Absolver's post-launch content and updates to see if it can truly becomes a legend among fighters, but even as is, it's a highly-entertaining brawler.
Even without the post-launch fixes to come, Rock of Ages II: Bigger & Boulder is an excellent game and basically acts as everything you would hope for a sequel to have.
Sonic Mania is one of those games that your childhood has always dreamed of.