The Last Case of Benedict Fox's incredible lore and art direction are regularly hampered by mediocre combat and platforming mechanics.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor improves upon its predecessor's gameplay and storytelling to deliver an engrossing story of a Jedi grappling with morality.
Minecraft Legends has a lot of good ideas, but the combat mechanics aren't suited for actively engaging in the act of war.
Atomic Heart lacks follow-through on its most interesting narrative concepts and plays it safe with its first-person shooter gameplay.
Forspoken is visually stimulating and a musical delight, but boring combat, poor characterization, and loose movement mechanics make for a mediocre experience.
Though golfing remains a highlight, Sports Story overloads its charming and intriguing premise with unrewarding side activities and boring fetch quests.
Though it starts off on a strong note, The Callisto Protocol's focus on action-heavy spectacles fails to adequately explore its horror and overcrowds its weak combat mechanics.
Marvel's Midnight Suns delivers strong tactical combat scenarios in a fun superhero romp where it's worth putting stock in the power of friendship.
Pentiment too often limits its most enjoyable pieces to reach an ending that makes sense but is still unfulfilling.
Gearbox Studio Québec's follow-up to Telltale Games' Tales from the Borderlands is a fun space western, featuring a story with a compelling start and strong conclusion.
We Are OFK incorporates elements of a visual novel and a televised biopic to tell an emotionally rewarding story about a band coming together.
Digimon Survive stumbles with its tactical combat but manages to recover with its compelling visual novel storytelling.
Bear and Breakfast's darker narrative themes don't complement its management sim elements but it still delivers a compellingly rhythmic gameplay loop.
Escape Academy takes design inspiration from real-world escape rooms, for better and for worse.
Roller Champions has an impressive, unique core but squanders it with a gameplay loop that gets stale.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe follows up the original 2013's strong narrative theme with an intriguing brand-new one.
Though the occasional bug or out-of-place mechanic bogs down the experience, Chinatown Detective Agency delivers a fulfilling investigator fantasy with real-world sleuthing.
Dawn of Ragnarök doesn't tell a compelling story, but its introduction of god-like powers creates new avenues for how players can explore and fight in Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
Though progression feels too closely tied to a mediocre challenge system, Rainbow Six Extraction offers fun incursions against a parasitic alien threat and rewards teamwork.
Halo Infinite transforms the series' two-decade-old formula for the better, giving protagonist Master Chief more characterization and implementing an open world.