Beyond a Steel Sky is an impressive adventure game with an intriguing story and a fun hacking system that adds a layer of challenge. As you play, you'll constantly wonder what situation you'll face next and what chain of events you'll have to complete while you're there.
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is a masterpiece of a detective game as it manages to deliver a thoroughly enjoyable open-world adventure with an interesting cast, stunning environmental visuals, and highly immersive and engaging sleuthing gameplay.
Shin Megami Tensei V is a solid evolution of the series with updated graphics and a thoroughly enjoyable overworld traversal system that rewards exploration although the battle system and monster recruiting remain a little too familiar.
Forza Horizon 5 introduces a larger, more varied map with even more weather effects and interesting challenges. The same enjoyable gameplay hasn't lost its momentum and there's enough to do that will keep you hooked for hours on end.
For a detective game, Lost Judgment presents an intriguingly complex story and a decent variety of gameplay and gadgets. However, it takes a long time to get interesting and the actual detective work is a bit too linear for hardcore mystery fans like me.
Staxel delivers a mediocre mix of block-building, farming, and foraging without providing any substantial drive or reward for your efforts. In other words, you'll be better off picking up one of the many games that Staxel was inspired by instead.
Tales of Arise is a masterpiece with a deep story and endearing cast that will keep you hooked as you fight for freedom from tyrants. It's the best Tales yet!
Life is Strange: True Colors presents a tale of empathy as you witness a town struggle to deal with a tragic event. I enjoyed my time in Haven, especially when seeing the world through the eyes of different characters and the ending presented an interesting twist. However, it's all over quickly and the mystery-solving portion is lackluster but it's an ultimately rewarding experience.
Lake is a short and enjoyable story-driven game with interesting mail delivery gameplay that drives you to get to know the townsfolk. The story and interactions provide much lighthearted fun so if you can get past the graphical issues and bugs, there's plenty to make you play Lake over and over so you can see how your decisions influence the people of Providence Oaks.
Kitaria Fables is an adorable feline-filled action-adventure RPG with an enjoyable battle system, detailed scenery, and lovely character art. However, multiple quality of life issues prevent this good game from being a great one.
Twelve Minutes plays like an escape room on extra hard difficulty and with higher stakes. As an intriguing albeit small-scale thriller with many twists and turns that can sometimes be frustrating, ending the time loop is ultimately somewhat worth the effort.
Murder Mystery Machine is a solid whodunit with an engaging storyline and a campaign that puts you in charge of solving 8 interconnected cases. Having said that, it's ultimately quite linear which makes the gameplay feel a little inconsequential at times.
The Forgotten City is a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging murder mystery where the decisions that you make actually matter. Exploring the beautifully rendered city is a treat and I look forward to whatever the developers create next.
Cris Tales is a colourful RPG with a neat time travel mechanic that's used throughout the story as well as in battles. Although this sounds promising, it struggles to reach the heights of genre greats and its lack of fine-tuning often made me frustrated or bored.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a collection of the best Ace Attorney games yet with a top-notch cast, loads of thrilling cases, and oodles of extras. On top of all that, multiple new gameplay elements reinvigorate the standard formula both in and out of court.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a top-notch RPG with a challenging battle system and varied world. Once I started playing, I couldn't put it down as it continued to capture my imagination with its enjoyable exploration and heartwarming story.
Lego Builder's Journey presents a challenging and attractive puzzler that you'll keep coming back to although you won't be at it long as it'll be over well before you'd hope it would be. Plus, it lacks replay value and hints to help with the more unintuitive puzzles.
World's End Club will keep you interested enough for at least one playthrough with its intriguing premise and fun presentation. However, the lackluster platforming and puzzle-solving may put you off playing it again and again to unlock the full story.
You'll definitely have fun with Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster if you're a fan of JRPGs and don't mind dark subject matter. The dungeon-crawling and battle system provide a solid level of challenge and the gameplay stays interesting throughout. However, the lack of visual detail and poor music quality will constantly remind you that you're merely playing a remaster of a PS2 game.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Pioneers of Olive Town. It may have the odd technical issue yet it makes up for that with a solid variety of items to collect and create, many rewarding skills to level up, and new gameplay elements to enjoy.