Intriguing visual design, a well-tuned action loop, and varied puzzles hold SIGNALIS steady against interference from silly item juggling and an incomprehensible narrative.
With a slightly different driving model, that is less enjoyable, and a severe lack of new content, WRC Generations is not much more than a compilation of previous entries with a different coat of paint.
There is a great multiplayer experience in Modern Warfare II, due to its careful movement and strong gunplay, but with an uneven campaign and terrible co-op, the franchise has been better equipped in previous battles.
Despite showcasing an interesting visual design, Scorn is an agonizing trip through a bizarre alien world with clunky combat, glacial mechanics, boring exploration, and a misplaced narrative.
The tiny backyard world in Grounded is a joy to explore, full of danger and wonder. It offers great value, despite a slow progression system and a drawn-out main quest line.
Return to Monkey Island is a good modernization of a classic pirate tale, even if it overuses nostalgia. Its array of sensible puzzles and light humor outshine pacing issues and a discordant art style.
While the colorful underground worlds in Little Orpheus look fantastic, the terribly bland platforming and irritating story drag the whole experience down into the depths.
Broken Pieces is a decent light adventure set in a nice-looking coastal town with satisfactory puzzles and some twists to the formula, despite minor aggravations and dull combat.
Endling may look nice, but it is a monotonous animal adventure with simple fox-feeding gameplay, bland skills, and restrictive exploration.
Last Days of Lazarus sets itself apart with lasting religious themes and compelling interior spaces. Unfortunately some tedious item-hunting and unappealing walks outside prevent this first-person adventure from rising above.
As Dusk Falls is held together by a strong start and good characters, despite the narrative deflating itself in the second half. Its choice and consequence system lacks real significance and more polish was needed for its atypical visual design.
While it borrows bits and pieces from successful horror games, Everything Is For Humanity is far from the best first-person offering in the genre. Alongside its poor horror execution, it is inconsistent, incoherent, and unpolished.
Although faithful to the 1997 movie, Starship Troopers: Terran Command as an RTS is not consistently enjoyable. Despite some good defensive sequences, its path-finding issues, bland missions, and excessive micromanagement bury some of the fun.
The many short and sweet puzzles in The Inheritance of Crimson Manor make it a decent escape-room adventure. Although the frequent walking back and forth, and lean story, means this is not a definite lock-in for puzzle gamers.
Thanks to the foundation built by its predecessor, Sniper Elite 5 is a good entry in the franchise, with large open levels and capable stealth mechanics. While it has several decent multiplayer options, better execution was needed to really hit all targets.
Although lacking refinement, Winter Ember is an adequate isometric stealth game that might spark joy for fans of the Thief franchise. With a more robust story, tidier stealth, and narrowed focus, Arthur might have given Garrett a run for his stolen loot.
Weird West is a brilliant Action-RPG sandbox with an alluring supernatural undertone. The story finds a regular beat as it jumps through five intriguing characters. Both stealth and combat work decently from the isometric perspective, with good interactions, and only some camera issues and AI navigation quirks prevent it from striking a deep vein of gold.
Ghost on the Shore is a bland walking simulator that has decent conversations with a ghostly companion. Its vague narrative, unexciting visuals, and typical formula make for a forgettable trip.
Martha Is Dead is a good adventure thanks to its deep look into the mind of a character under stress. Aside from performance issues and missed opportunities, the game has great attention to detail and careful pacing.
GRID Legends makes racing exciting again thanks to its concise story mode, strong AI competitors, dramatic races, vehicle variety, and strong multiplayer. It's just a pity that most tracks are too familiar and team management is lacking.