Night Call is an absorbing noir adventure with plenty of heart.
Knights & Bikes is an endlessly charming, knock-about adventure.
Deep, varied, and punchy combat make The Surge 2 worth the effort, even if you have to bear through its lifeless story.
Phoenix Point takes a good shot at revitalizing the XCOM formula.
Unity of Command 2 maintains a strong supply of deep, compelling wargame strategy once you break through its wall of jargon.
Through the Darkest of Times paints what feels like an accurate portrait of life in Nazi Germany. Cherry-picking major events, like the Reichstag Fire or the opening ceremony of the Olympics, it convincingly places you at the scene, putting you in the shoes of a regular German trying to come to grips with how one person--or even five people--can respond in the presence of evil.
XCOM: Chimera Squad refines the series' core tactical strengths to show that sometimes less is more.
At heart it's a checklist of chores. But it's such a wonderfully warm, endlessly charming checklist of chores that when they're all done, I'm not going to want to leave.
Crusader Kings 3 is an intricate story-telling device weaving countless threads as long as you have the will to keep it spinning.
Inscryption is an excellent deck-builder that fades after an astonishing start.
Hard West 2 is a hardy, accomplished turn-based tactics game with several flashes of genius.
Wayward Strand is a delicate piece of work, as its title might imply. Despite the flight of fancy proposed by the very idea of an airship hospital, it's a remarkably unassuming game–not literally down-to-earth, but certainly grounded in its portrayal of lives nearing their end and one just beginning, and the common hopes, dreams and fears that connect all those lives together.
Victoria 3 is a political and economic simulation of unparalleled depth, complexity and indifference to you. Stumble upon a narrative hook and it can reel you in, even if it struggles to maintain a human connection
Sable’s non-linear structure is liberating and lets you explore at your own pace and in whatever direction your whim takes you. But its many technical issues–including poor performance and game-breaking bugs–contrive to stymie your journey to the extent that your Gliding may never leave the launch pad.
Stray gets so much right about being a cat. It's not just the way you travel through the world. There are moments when you stop to rub your side against someone's legs. You can press a button to scratch the carpet and there are even a couple of puzzles that make smart use of this ability. The way you stretch out one paw to tentatively bat at a suspicious object or how you curl up on a cushion in the perfect pretzel… it's just so exquisitely, believably cat-like.
The strange politics of its dystopia feel fresh. Numerous cuts to other points of view leave you disoriented in a way that only adds to the intrigue. There’s also a pleasing glitch aesthetic that permeates every aspect, from the writing to the art direction, raising doubts whenever something tangible threatens to materialise. It’s a mystery well worth falling headfirst into.
Lunark wears its inspirations on its sleeve. It is littered with subtle and blatant nods to Flashback, in particular. In an under-populated genre, the heavy weight of those influences are conspicuous. Yet, at the same time, it’s just pleasing to encounter another cinematic platformer that understands the appeal of the genre, and doesn’t try to fix what ain’t broke. Sometimes, slowing down is precisely what you need.
11-11: Memories Retold is an exquisitely painted, touchingly told and occasionally tedious war story.
Anno 1800 is a beautiful and comprehensive yet strangely cold Industrial Age city builder.
At The Gates is a fresh, invigorating, more personal take on the grand strategy game, but a lacking late-game holds it back from greatness.