Despite a few missteps in terms of the combat, if you're a fan of detective games then Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is a pretty easy one to recommend. Getting to do things like interviewing witnesses or performing chemical analysis on suspicious evidence is an absolute blast. The island of Cordona is chock full of cases for you to investigate and while there are a few technical issues with the open world setting it's easy enough to forgive when sleuthing around is this much fun.
While The Good Life has its charms, most of the gameplay just feels really sluggish. Many of the story quests will have you making your way to a point on the map to watch a cutscene, you'll then have to make your way somewhere else to watch the next one, and so on until the quest ends. The side quests also end up feeling repetitive and while it can be pretty relaxing to go through all the quests and slowly tick them off, for many players this will get tiresome pretty quickly.
The story mode will be wrapped up within five hours but there is an exploration mode if you haven’t quite had your fill of bugs. Here you’ll be able to take control of other creatures and, as the title suggests, explore. There are short video logs dotted around the place if you want to try to find out more about what happened to the world. Although, once you realise that the other creatures are even harder to control than the sugar glider, and have encountered your fair share of crashes, you’ll probably decide that you don’t actually care that much about the reasons for humanity’s demise.
Astria Ascending is a beautifully hand-drawn game with an old school JRPG feel. It tries to keep the experience modern with some much needed quality of life improvements, but annoying bugs hold it back. It's a bit of a shame that the story is fairly forgettable but the fun combat system does help alleviate this to an extent. With a very detailed job system and plenty of optional side content to get involved with, there is entertainment to be found here if don't mind the grind - but as an overall role-playing adventure, Astria Ascending has clear flaws.
It's pretty amazing to think that Kena: Bridge of Spirits is Ember Lab's very first game. With absolutely stunning visuals and impactful music this is sure to leave an impression on people. Gameplay-wise it doesn't do anything particularly new or innovative but that doesn't stop it from being loads of fun. This is a small adventure with enough challenge and heart to keep you entertained for the full 10–15 hours that it'll take for you to reach its conclusion.
Lost in Random is set in a masterfully crafted world which tells a gothic fairy tale-like story that has plenty of warmth despite its dark hue. With beautiful writing and a touching story, it does a great job at making you really care about what happens to Even, as well as everyone she meets. It also has a truly unique battle system that offers loads of fun in your quest to create a perfect deck. This is a delight to play from beginning to end.
Even with the occasional tricky platforming section The Touryst is an absolute joy to play. There's a diverse range of puzzles and silly mini-games for you to discover and have an absolute blast with. It's a delightful bite-sized adventure that, just like a real holiday, is likely to leave you with fond memories and wishing you could spend more time there.
It might sound like I'm being quite critical of Kitaria Fables but I did actually have a lot of fun playing it. It never quite reaches its full potential, but as long as you don't mind that it's quite grindy in places, then it is a worthwhile adventure. There's also a couch co-op mode which is perfect if you have been looking for a simple RPG to introduce to a younger gamer or if you just want something low key to play with a friend.
There's a fair amount of side-quest stuff to do such as playing mini-games in the maid café or helping out locals with their problems, although none of it is particularly innovative or memorable. There are also loads of different quirky weapons and hundreds of different clothing options to collect. Roaming around Akihabara while wielding a keyboard and wearing a Gundam cosplay made out of cardboard boxes is kinda fun, despite how average the game is overall.
You’ll steadily gain access to new characters throughout your adventure. Not only are they wonderfully entertaining during the story, but they also have unique abilities in battle that can really mix up how you fight. It keeps the game feeling fresh and interesting throughout the 30 or so hours that it takes to reach its conclusion.
Where the Heart Leads isn't going to be a game for everyone but it does a remarkable job at letting the player walk their own path through Whit's life. Much of the story is fairly ordinary but that's what makes it so relatable. It may even cause you to reflect on the choices you've made in your own life and how you may have helped or hindered those around you.
While this strategy game does a great job at creating a unique look, the gameplay doesn't really do enough to hold your attention. It's pretty simplistic and won't take long for you to master which unfortunately means that it ends up feeling fairly repetitive. It's a shame as when the game does introduce new mechanics in the boss fights things can get pretty interesting but there just aren't enough of these types of battles.
If you already own the original games as well as their DLC, then the new content in Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack is unlikely to be enough to make you want to splash out again, as none of it drastically changes the original experience. However, if this is your first time playing them, then this Atelier trilogy is fairly easy to recommend. It's quite a varied collection, and it's great to see the developer really experiment with the series' core gameplay mechanics. All three games will send you on a very different adventure, but each of them has a great group of characters for you to fall in love with.
Even with the handful of bugs this is a unique experience that is very easy to recommend. It's an amazing RPG with an absolutely stunning amount of depth for a game where you're mostly just talking to people. Both the story and cast of characters are highly memorable and no two players will have the same experience. It's really easy to see why PC gamers have been raving about Disco Elysium, this truly is a must-play experience.
Spacebase Startopia doesn't have quite the same charm and humour of the original 2001 classic. The campaign missions are short and fairly repetitive, and the combat feels really basic. It's a shame, but even with an online multiplayer mode, this shallow simulator is not a particularly engaging experience.
Root Film does a great job at holding your attention throughout the 15-20 hours you'll spend with it. The truth behind the film project from ten years ago is an intriguing one to uncover and you'll discover plenty of dark secrets along the way. Despite being a game with lots of death in it, it also manages to be a love letter to the Shimane region in Japan. The endearing characters you meet will also help keep the game feeling light despite some of its intense subject matter.
While Neptune and her friends are just as enthusiastic and charming as ever, both the gameplay and story feels a little stale. It’s great that the developer has managed to seamlessly blend together real V-tubers with the ladies from Gamesindustri, but it’s a real shame that there’s nothing else that lifts this game above average.
Memoranda is a game for those looking for something a bit different. It’s only likely to take you an afternoon to reach its conclusion, but spending a few hours exploring this beautiful world is a unique and memorable experience. But be aware that you will likely have to resort to a guide during some of the game's more surreal moments.
Unto the End has a wonderfully minimalistic style and while I enjoyed much of my time exploring its world the combat did eventually start to drag. It's unforgiving action can start to get tiresome even with the generous checkpoint system. If you're a button mashing kind of gamer then it's probably best to give this one a miss.
It's a shame that Twin Mirror manages to create such a compelling and interesting opening but just doesn't manage to stick the landing. It definitely didn't take me on the same kind of emotional journey as some of DONTNOD's previous games, and unfortunately I found myself not really caring too much about Sam or the residents of Basswood.