Pathologic 2 offers a hauntingly bleak tale, then does its best to stop you from experiencing it.
Blacksad: Under the Skin is a decent detect-'em-up that lacks a bit of noir style.
Balan Wonderworld is an occasionally inspired, often unimaginative platformer lost to time.
Nuts is a short hike through mostly uninspiring terrain.
Stonefly is too weighed down by unwieldy combat and grind to get off the ground.
Vampire The Masquerade: Swansong is a dialogue-driven RPG that stakes everything on writing that isn't up to the task.
Pupperazzi struggles to go beyond the obvious premise suggested by its witty name. Other than photographing a lot of dogs – so many, many dogs – there’s almost nothing else to do. While it remains charming and silly throughout, you’re not able to form any sort of lasting bond with any of these dogs. Your interactions with them are too fleeting, too inconsequential. That cute little pug I found snoozing under the picnic table doesn’t have a name, and she’ll be gone the next time I drop by. I can send you a photo of her I took, I suppose, but we both know you’re just going to delete it.
Revisiting Colossal Cave is a peculiar, uncanny experience. I understand Roberta Williams’ desire to bring it back to life, even if I’m not convinced the format she’s chosen to present it in does justice to the original’s pioneering spirit or the grip it managed to hold on the imaginations of those who played it. But perhaps that was always an impossible task.
Underworld Ascendant misses the mark with almost every shot. Even when freed from the expectations its historical baggage brings, it is a clear failure.