Jim Smale
Doki Monsters Quest delivers a heartfelt blend of retro monster capturing, modern quality of life touches and a world packed with charm. While some elements feel very familiar and a few rough edges show through, the adventure remains warm,m colourful, and easy to sink into. It captures nostalgia while offering enough variety to keep the journey engaging.
Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons is a sweet twist on classic Bubble Bobble gameplay, mixing nostalgia with roguelite progression. Its charm lies in the candy-coated visuals, upbeat soundtrack, and bubble-based mechanics, but the grind, control issues, and one-hit kills weigh down the fun. For fans of the series or those seeking a quirky roguelite challenge, it offers a flavorful but imperfect adventure.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond stands out as a bold and impressive evolution of the series, offering huge worlds, satisfying combat, and a strong sense of discovery. While some design choices and missing accessibility features hold it back, the overall experience is packed with quality, atmosphere, and memorable moments. It is a confident return that fans and newcomers can easily get lost in.
Lonely Mountains Snow Riders stands out as a smooth, slick, and replayable skiing experience with plenty of modes, slopes, and challenges to keep you coming back. It rewards practice, offers loads of ways to approach each location, and feels consistently polished. Despite a learning curve, a few frustrating spots, and slow early unlocks, it remains a game that hooks you for run after run.
One Man’s Trash is an addictive vacuum-digging experience that blends treasure hunting, upgrades, exploration, and a surprisingly engaging story. It is easy to learn, strangely relaxing, and capable of destroying your free time as you lose track of everything from time to eating. The early game drags, and technical quirks show up, but once it clicks, it becomes a satisfying loop of uncovering secrets and chasing fortune in the refuse.
Speed Factor delivers a fun, accessible, and nostalgic arcade racer that hits the right notes for quick sessions and retro fans. It is not hard, it is not deep, and it does not offer replay value, but it does exactly what it sets out to do. If you want a simple blast of arcade speed with punk rock chaos and pixel charm, it gets the job done.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion delivers a fun and frantic beat ’em up with a huge roster, tag team mechanics, and a nostalgic arcade feel. It has a lot of charm thanks to its pixel art, soundtrack, and pick-up-and-play nature. While the lack of accessibility options, repetitive modes, and limited replay value hold it back, it still offers a solid burst of cosmic action, especially for fans of retro-style brawlers.
Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition is simply fun to play and easy to come back to. With its classic visuals, exploration-heavy design, constant missions, and colourful world, it remains a charming and enjoyable experience. Despite a few annoyances with saving and pausing, the game’s variety, characters, and sense of discovery make it a strong return for a cult favourite.
Secrets delivers a tense, atmospheric horror experience with strong puzzle work, a huge school to explore, and a solid sense of progression. When it works, it really works, especially with headphones. But the performance issues, lack of accessibility, and some questionable design choices stop it from reaching its full potential. Even so, it offers a good mix of exploration and fear for players willing to overlook its rough edges.
Disney Illusion Island Starring Mickey and Friends is a charming, visually delightful platformer that shines brightest when you are exploring, gliding, and uncovering secrets across Monoth. It offers a lot of quality of life settings, fun co op options, and a world that feels lovingly crafted. But the slow-burning gameplay, tame music, limited accessibility, and lack of long-term pull hold it back. It is a solid one-time adventure that delivers plenty of cartoon magic, even if it struggles to keep that spark alive after the credits roll.
Silence offers a striking and atmospheric adventure with memorable lighting, a piano-heavy soundtrack, and a world that feels crafted to explore. It has exploration, puzzles, and a sense of mystery that work well, but technical issues, control limitations, and performance hiccups stop it from reaching its full potential. There is something special here, but it comes wrapped in frustrations that players will need to push through to appreciate the experience.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a game packed with options, atmosphere, and tension. With multiple difficulties, Expedition mode, three save slots, quick save, object highlighting, and the ability to pause, it gives you control over how you want to experience the Zone. Items and gear can be picked up instantly, and the world is filled with danger from radiation, anomalies, and monsters. Despite a few issues, the overall package is gripping, immersive, and hard to put down.
Taxi Chaos 2 has a lot of depth with its abilities, upgrades, unlockable vehicles, and customisation options. The arcade mode is fun, and the core idea of fast taxi runs with drifting and smashing taxi bots is enjoyable. The world is changing around you, and the rare chaos resolvers add excitement. But the performance issues, glitches, slow progression, repeated customers, and frustrating camera make it a rough ride. There is a solid foundation here, but it needs more polish to truly shine.
Montezuma’s Revenge: The 40th Anniversary Edition brings back a classic with a bigger adventure and a lot of nostalgic charm. It has simple controls, a tough challenge, and a faithful recreation of the original experience. At the same time, the small fall distance, basic instructions, control issues, and visual blending can make it frustrating. It is a solid return for fans who want a difficult action platformer with a retro feel.
Street Racer Collection (QUByte Classics) is a fun, nostalgic ride that blends racing with combat in a way few titles dare. While its limitations in online features and dated mechanics may deter some, the sheer variety of modes, characters, and extras make it a worthy addition for fans of retro chaos. It’s a celebration of 90s gaming that earns its place in the kart racing genre, offering both laughs and challenges for those willing to embrace its quirks.
Bob the Brick Breaker is a fun, reflex-driven arcade experience that modernises a timeless formula. Its strengths lie in simple yet addictive gameplay, clever boss fights, and fast performance. However, the lack of tutorials, limited online features, and shallow replay value mean it’s best suited for short bursts of nostalgic fun rather than long-term engagement. For players chasing scores and trophies, it’s a quick and enjoyable ride.
The Last Case of John Morley is a suspenseful detective adventure that thrives on atmosphere, puzzles, and exploration. While accessibility issues, slow pacing, and uneven voice work hold it back, the strong visuals, engaging environments, and haunting narrative make it worth experiencing for fans of noir mysteries and horror-infused storytelling. It may not be flawless, but its immersive world and memorable story carry it far.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault delivers a bigger, smoother, and more engaging experience than its predecessor. The combination of shopkeeping, dungeon crawling, and strategic relic management creates a satisfying loop that keeps players hooked. While performance hiccups and accessibility gaps hold it back, the charm, variety, and depth of gameplay make it a strong Early Access title. With future updates promising more content and refinement, Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is well worth exploring for fans of adventure RPGs and merchant-driven gameplay.
Lumo 2 is a puzzle-heavy metroidvania that’s not for everyone, but if you click with its style, it’s a rewarding ride. It’s a game for particular players who enjoy quirky challenges, retro vibes, and layered puzzle design. The lack of guidance and accessibility might frustrate some, but those who embrace its eccentricity will find a game that’s both nostalgic and inventive.
Formula Legends is a nostalgic blast of arcade racing wrapped in a motorsport history lesson. It’s not trying to be Gran Turismo, it’s more like Micro Machines meets F1 with a dash of era-specific flair.