Crusader Kings 3 is an intricate story-telling device weaving countless threads as long as you have the will to keep it spinning.
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.
XCOM: Chimera Squad refines the series' core tactical strengths to show that sometimes less is more.
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.
Unity of Command 2 maintains a strong supply of deep, compelling wargame strategy once you break through its wall of jargon.
Phoenix Point takes a good shot at revitalizing the XCOM formula.
Deep, varied, and punchy combat make The Surge 2 worth the effort, even if you have to bear through its lifeless story.
Knights & Bikes is an endlessly charming, knock-about adventure.
Night Call is an absorbing noir adventure with plenty of heart.
It's a smartly designed game at its core, despite the distractions. Just like a lone zombie can bring about your demise, sometimes one strong idea is enough.
Hypnospace Outlaw is a time capsule of the late '90s internet that has a message for today.
The follow-up to Sunless Seas is an adventure that conjures up a journey of endless wonder, where seemingly anything is possible.
The Eternal Castle Remastered is a stunning, evocative cinematic platformer that recalls a long-past era of PC gaming.
The Missing is a dark, confronting puzzle-platformer that offers light at the end of the tunnel.
The Occupation is a smart, story-driven stealth adventure, the sort of game that gets under your skin in ways you didn't even realize.
It was perhaps around the time I found myself feeding mulberry leaves to my silkworms so they could produce the silk I need to run through my loom in order to make the fabric required to produce the parachutes the island's meteorologist had requested for her research balloons… somewhere in that long chain of intertwined chores, anyway… that I realised Wylde Flowers was indeed a very good chore game. And by this point my wife was very much in agreement.
Desperados 3 is an elegant stealth tactics game that encourages experimentation.
In Other Waters tells a tense, absorbing mystery through exquisitely minimalist means.
Eastshade is a rare first-person open world game about doing nice things and bringing communities together, a genuinely feelgood and gorgeous experience.
With embellished diplomatic options and climate change bringing new strategic choices, Gathering Storm is a whole new way to play Civ VI.