Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a title that’s not afraid to take some risks, and the result is a very unique –if sometimes flawed – tactical action game. It’s a great title for casual fans of the genre, although more discerning tactics fans will probably enjoy it more for its stealth and its storyline.
Party Hard 2 builds on the formula of its predecessor to offer a brutal, sadistic, and very creative mass murder simulator. It may not feel all that new, but it’s got enough tricks up its sleeve to justify another couple 3 AM murder sprees
Aggelos sticks pretty rigidly to the classics script, and while that means getting bogged down by questionable design choices, it also makes for a great modern classic that relies on good level design instead of randomly generated levels
Dragon Quest XI is very much a classic J-RPG, and while a lot of the ideas here have been done before, they haven’t been done this well. It’s a great example of a game that doesn’t innovate, but definitely enhances the classic formula and improves on it
Runner3 is an amazingly crafted arcade experience that’s perfect for short bursts of hair-pulling runny goodness. It sticks to the Runner formula and it doesn’t do that much to change things up, but it does push all the dials up to 11, and the result is a really layered arcade title.
The Swords of Ditto is a charming, beautifully illustrated dungeon crawler with goofy but loveable characters and fun combat, but its roguelike design makes it feel grindy at times. It’s still enjoyable, but it certainly needs some tweaking to improve balance.
A treat for the eyes and ears, Zoink Games' Fe offers more actual gameplay than similar indie titles, but its choice to restrict player information can be frustrating at times. It’ll take some getting used to, but it ultimately rewards the player for being patient.
Observer manages to construct a truly disturbing Orwellian reality and put the player at the heart of a sinister plot that’ll definitely creep them out. It borrows a lot from cyberpunk classics, and while it feels derivative at times, it manages to create its own cyberpunk experience and deliver a fresh take on horror gameplay
White Day: A Labyrinth Named School offers gamers an updated version of a Korean survival horror classic. The jumpscares can be a little hackneyed, and the plot a little clichéd, but the game offers a surprisingly deep and unsettling experience to those who are patient and willing to deal with the occasional bug.
While it’s lighter on the scares than its big brothers in the horror genre, Perception ends up being much more memorable due to its well-crafted story and unique way of creating danger. Its central mechanic forces you to be careful and quiet, and its final chapter delivers a wallop that more than makes up for a slower start.
Hollow Knight takes the classic metroidvania formula and builds on it by creating a deep, harrowing world for you to explore. Its smooth, intense combat and innovative progression system are sure to draw in fans of the genre.
Frozen Synapse 2 keeps the core gameplay fairly consistent and adds a new campaign mode which is a bit flawed but interesting nonetheless. The sequel also manages to refine the terrific tactical gameplay of the original Frozen Synapse to create a tighter squad combat game.
Orcs Must Die! Unchained cleverly mixes action and strategy gaming to create a fun and light-hearted horde defense game. Its F2P implementation is subtle and works well, and the game is a great way to whittle away a few hours where you feel like killing something.
Control manages to mix Remedy’s classic third-person shooter action formula with trippy Inception-esque reality bending to craft a really intense game. The story might get a little *too* mind-bendy at some points, and the writing leans more towards heavy exposition, but it all comes together amazingly.
Team Sonic Racing loses some of the things that made previous Sonic Racing titles great, but it adds in co-op gameplay mechanics that really push players to work together to cross the finish line. It’s a great addition to the kart racing genre, and it’s totally fun with friends.
Mazen enjoys anything with over-the-top violence, dark humor and a real challenge. He's still pretty big on single-player games and he's always looking for new titles he might've missed out on, so if you know about a crazy new title that's flying under the radar, look him up!
HITMAN 2 features big, open-ended levels that offer players a ton of freedom to choose how to eliminate unsuspecting victims. It manages to keep much of the soul of the series while updating the gameplay and offering a very polished experience.
Vampyr is a fun action RPG that dives deep into horror lore to put you in the shoes of a brooding newly minted vampire who explores the dismal streets of Victorian London. You can build up an impressive array of abilities throughout, and by the end, you’re one tough undead fellow.
Darksiders III is a great hack-and-slash action title that feels a bit dated but still manages to offer a well-crafted experience. It’s not the best title in the series, but it gets serious points for its polish and its focus.
Tesla vs Lovecraft is another classic from top-down shooter pros 10tons and it’s a must-have for any fan of the genre. Its absurd premise makes for some great lovecraftian horror action, and its balanced gameplay makes it one of the best indie shooters this year.