Bill Stiteler
If you're a hardcore fan of Deadliest Catch, you might-might-eke some enjoyment from the video game version's lazy simulation of the tasks. However, you'd have a much better time just watching the show with a controller in your hand, and pretending. You might get a more responsive experience, too.
Ikai is a first-person psychological horror game that isn't so much scary as it is confounding. It wastes its effectively chilling setting by simply getting you lost in it. You'll be annoyed more often than frightened, confused more often than entertained.
All in all, Senran Kagura Peach Ball feels less like a game than a poorly-crafted joke about anime, porn, and video games.
Any potential Wartales displays as an outlaw fantasy RPG is negated by frequent crashes. There's fun to be had with party management and a robust turn-based combat system, but until the stability issues are addressed, the game's not worth the frequent backtracking previous save points.
For those familiar with this long-time simulation/strategy series, Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening may feel like a warm welcome home. But as a newcomer, I found the game a confusing mess, and the Switch version frustrated my every attempt to enjoy playing it.
Lunar Lander Beyond is an extremely difficult arcade action game aimed squarely at those who prefer a steep (and I would argue unfair) challenge. OK. The problem is that, aside from some great design work, that challenge is pretty much all it offers.
Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash boils the elements of the show down to a fighting game that's likely to appeal only to fans of the show. Even to them, we have to suggest there are many fighting games out there to better occupy your time.
Heirs of the Kings plays everything a little too safely. It moves from one retro JRPG trope to the next, but doesn't provide the player with much incentive to do so beyond checking the boxes along the way.
Pet Care is, of course, an inexpensive game intended as a diversion for small children. In the spirit of research, I gave the game to my 4-year-old godchild, who played it intently for a few minutes, and rewarded it with "okay," then going back to watching my very real pet rabbit eat a handful of cilantro (not present in the game).
Ship Graveyard Simulator is exactly what it says on the tin. Using different tools to break down ship parts and sell them for profit may not sound like the best use of your gaming time, but it can be a relaxing alternative to the typically high pressure, high stress fare.
The action in Kung Fury: Street Rage – Ultimate Edition is as basic as can be for an '80s-inspired arcade brawler, but it captures the tone of the source material (not to mention many of the characters) in a manner that'll please fans of the original short film.
Nadir: A Grimdark Deck Builder feels unfinished in parts, but fans of card-based battle games will be intrigued by the ingenious combat mechanism that forces you to balance your attacks against the threat of the enemy's retaliation.
Before We Leave promises to be "gentle" and "relaxing" city-building game, and it is until you reach its game-breaking bugs. I guess you can't expect the post-apocalypse to be all fun all the time.
If you're looking for a simple game about jet combat, Sky Gamblers – Afterburner will almost certainly scratch that itch. You don't have to worry about anything other than lining up your shot and not crashing into mountains. I suspect it'll really appeal to those who want to enjoy the multiplayer element where they can take on their friends rather than the simple AI villains who make this game mindless fun.
Omega Labyrinth Life is a colorful, well-produced roguelike dungeon game with a lot of cheesecake, set in the world of Japanese schoolgirls. The nice part is that you can participate with that aspect of the game to whatever degree you like, and there's a pretty fun game with some decent writing to season it all.
A weird, beautifully rendered combination of Limbo and Super Mario Brothers, Saviorless is an interesting take on an action-platformer.
One Night Burlesque isn't one of those indies where the fantastic gameplay spawns a cult of followers who keep it alive in tournaments. There's very little actual "game" here. But if you're a fan of visually innovative storytelling and want a movie-length experience, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
If you're looking for something that's creepy without being violent are gory, the puzzle game Smile for Me is for you. It effectively uses its low-fi graphics and video to create a point-and-click adventure that unnerves you without resorting to jump scares and violence.
Process of Elimination is a fun visual novel in which you must solve a murder mystery on an island of super-detectives. Actual gameplay is light, but the bonkers story, mini-games, and detective puzzles make this a mystery worth solving.
The Dark Prophecy is a fun little point-and-click adventure. All the puzzles make enough sense, and you can finish the whole thing in under an hour. It teases further parts of the story, and this certainly feels like the first chapter of what will hopefully be a longer tale.