River City Girls 2 beefs up its decades-old beat-'em-up formula with RPG elements, witty humor, and dense combat options.
The Last Hero of Nostalgaia is a competent RPG with a world that helps it stand out from the pack, even if it doesn't stand too far above it.
Soulstice is a competent action game with creative monsters, but they're doomed to live in a bland setting with tedious level design.
Thymesia's aggressive combat can be enjoyable, but it's an adventure that's easily forgettable otherwise.
As it stands now, Achilles: Legends Untold is an undercooked and fairly broken romp through ancient Greece, with underwhelming combat and a world that's full of pretty things to look at but with little to do in it.
Superbly written characters, the dark allure of its world, and an engrossing main story make up for Weird West's wonky action.
A fantastical setting and solid story can't disguise the fact that Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok has us running through the same motions as the main game a year and a half later.
OlliOlli World's approachability and poppy, colourful presentation make diving into its densely packed levels and chasing high scores feel like a warm hug before the white-knuckle drop in.
Fights in Tight Spaces recreates that action movie feeling of stylishly dismantling a room full of goons.
Clid the Snail is a twin-stick shooter that's radula-deep in mediocrity. The slimy graphics and sluggish combat keep its decent story and characters from thriving outside of its shell.
1C Entertainment's attempt to reinvigorate the long-dormant series proves two things: its turn-based tactical combat is timeless, and making a compelling open-world experience is harder than it looks.
Despite its satisfyingly open Infiltrations and the brisk bite of its scythes, The Siege of Paris doesn't feel like an essential addition when Valhalla already has Mjolonir's weight in nearly identical content.
Knockout City's fantastic spin on dodgeball combat has surprising depth, making it one of the best team-based PvP games in years.
Solasta's tactical battles shine brightly, even in the shadow of a drab and by-the-numbers fantasy story.
A strong Irish story and a few interesting battles amid a sea of run-of-the-mill recycled quests make Wrath of the Druids worth a return trip to Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
For a few brief moments Fuser reinvigorates the glory days of social music gaming and in the right hands can be effectively be an instrument of music creation, but outside of the campaign there's little for the rest of us to do.
This is a fun, fresh take on classic JRPG tropes and modern roguelike design, but it's in danger of running out of steam too quickly.
To say Frostpunk is fun would be like saying watching The Road is fun. It's engaging, challenging, inventive and unique. It cleverly re-purposes old genre tropes, and embraces the rigors of micromanaging dire people in a dark time with such earnest that it's hard not to get charmed into hours of sadistic yet satisfying struggle.
At a budget price and launching with a last minute ad bumrush, Remnant: From the Ashes is the kind of title you'd expect to come out and vanish quickly. But for fans of tough RPGs, action shooters, or post-apocalyptic fiction, passing up on Remnant would be a devastating mistake. It easily joins the ranks of games like Vampyr, that stubbornly outgrow their financial constraints to truly innovate and elevate a genre that has long since needed new ideas.
Alas, if you're coming to Age of Wonders: Planetfall for a brand new angle on games you've played before, then you've come to the wrong place. It's novel to see several different recognizable mechanics blended into one genre soup. The final product isn't better than the sum of its parts, though. It makes the 4X a faster game to play, but not a better one, ultimately.