The life that InZOI offers for simulation is pared down to an endless series of vapid, corporate-feeling interactions that never lend themselves to interesting storytelling.
A meticulous exploration of the cozy game genre that weaves its story of burnout and trauma into every aspect, but might have just a little bit too much to do.
It’s unclear whether there’ll be a massive 1.7 update in the future. Barone has been developing a different game, Haunted Chocolatier, since 2020, and while that’s currently on pause to get 1.6 bug-free and available across platforms, surely at some point Stardew Valley will be left to its own devices. But even if it doesn’t get any more major updates, its unshakeable core, long tail, and rooted community mean that it’s bound to stay at the center of the ecosystem that grew up around it for a long while to come.
A satisfying daily loop turns into a speedy momentum in this open world farming game, but its early access release raises questions that need answers.
I’m thrilled that the remaster has given Ghost Trick a new lease on life. But Sissel spends the whole game making sure that nothing falls through the cracks — and that just doesn’t square with his game’s now lonely survival.
Anyone who’s spent any time in fandom circles knows how a little goes a long way when it comes to filling in the gaps in character relationships. A hand on a shoulder, a passing compliment, a little joke — anything can be fuel for the imagination. There was plenty of time in Octopath Traveler 2, during exploration and combat, when my mind was free to wander and would have done most of the work — if there was any foundation for me to build from. But I can’t help feeling that imaginative fuel wasn’t put into the script to begin with. Without it, Octopath Traveler 2 is beautifully realized, but there’s a hole at its center.
Because even though Pentiment is set in the past, it demonstrates how history is never static, and how it influences places, communities, and individuals. That’s something that’s easily lost when we look back through time, but Pentiment’s living characters and spiraling mystery won’t let you forget it.
Butterfly Soup 2 is a sequel that lives up to the heartbreak and hilarity of the original, while giving an even more compassionate exploration of teenage life.
Roadwarden is a beautifully written fantasy world with more mystery than can be solved in a single playthrough, and that's what makes it so intriguing.
The Waylanders is an RPG that's endearing as it is janky. It has fun characters and looks stunning, so here's hoping that more patches can get rid of the (potentially game-breaking) bugs.
A little frustrating in places, but Moonglow Bay is mostly a chill fishing RPG that digs into its themes of community, resilience and rebuilding in surprising and consistently interesting ways.
Supergiant’s action roguelike was already a game of the year contender when it first came out in early access two years ago. It definitely is one now.
There’s nothing in the way of making me feel like I’ve become awfully clever at it all.
Necrobarista realises that there are no objectively correct answers to the questions it raises about mortality, loss, and how to live a good life. In giving these two characters their different resolutions without presenting either as better than the other, it manages to acknowledge that while simultaneously giving both a satisfying conclusion.
Navigating a world of wonder, an intrepid trader encounters a succession of strangers in this engaging narrative card game
The latest addition to the demon-slaying franchise is a gorgeously designed gore fest that delivers relentless fun
While I’ve been writing this, I’ve still been playing Besiege, in a way. Ideas for new creations have been bubbling away under the surface of my mind, just waiting for me to hop back in and build them
This is objectively good game design, but it’s also desperately endearing.
Beyond: Two Souls feels like a Frankenstein creature; a television show with interactivity jammed in for the sake of it.
YIIK might have been able to get away with some of its issues if other areas were able to pick up the slack.