Pathway is a workmanlike XCOM-lite whose breezy tone stumbles into some tired tropes.
Aragami 2 is a stylish, aggressive stealth game that's a little too lean at times.
Lost in Random tells a sweet tale with surprisingly deep combat to brighten an otherwise dreary world.
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is a fleeting but delicious Zelda-inspired romp.
A meaty, engrossing strategy spin-off with an attention to detail that is both a blessing and a curse.
Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break won't always rock your world, but eventually the good times will roll.
Cloudpunk is a neon-doused celebration of cyberpunk style that occasionally obscures the story it wants to tell.
Lenna's Inception is an enjoyable, procedurally generated ode to The Legend of Zelda.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a robust hybrid strategy game that adds a fifth X to the 4X genre.
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.
Anno 1800 is a beautiful and comprehensive yet strangely cold Industrial Age city builder.
11-11: Memories Retold is an exquisitely painted, touchingly told and occasionally tedious war story.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Hard West 2 is a hardy, accomplished turn-based tactics game with several flashes of genius.
Inscryption is an excellent deck-builder that fades after an astonishing start.