I want it to be known that I really wanted to like The Spirit of the Samurai. I am a massive fan of stop-motion animation, and any piece of media that utilises or seeks to evoke or pay homage to that style has earned my respect. That said, as well put-together as the cutscenes are, The Spirit of the Samurai is just not very fun as a game. From the clunky and unresponsive controls to the linear and murky levels filled with oddly placed traps and pitfalls, it can often feel like a slog to actually play. If you are a fan of stop-motion animation, then you may get something from the experience, but it is unlikely to be too satisfying for just about anyone else.
Antonblast is an incredibly odd, yet rather absorbing platformer. Despite its audacious presentation, there is a surprisingly skillful platformer underneath the over-the-top chaos of its visuals that fans of speedrunning and mastery over a game's mechanics will be sure to greatly enjoy. Not all of the level gimmicks work as well as others, but considering the amount of imagination which has been squeezed into this 10-ish hour experience, it's hard to come away from the game without a smile on your face. If you're a fan of Crash Bandicoot or the old Wario Land games, or just really like well-designed and memorable 2D platformers, Antonblast is a tonne of fun and an easy recommend.
I liked Spirit Mancer well enough as an arcadey 2D hack and slasher with a fun monster summoning twist, and you might too. The addition of a monster collection element is a pretty fantastic inclusion, and the simplicity of sealing a weakened monster into my deck and then pulling them out at the opportune moment always felt satisfying. Unfortunately, the boss fights are mostly a bit of a letdown, feeling surprisingly slow-paced and often frustrating, and while the narrative doesn't take itself too seriously, it doesn't quite end with the impact that it should. That said, if you just want a fun 2D hack-and-slash game with a unique twist that you can play with a friend, you can do far worse than Spirit Mancer.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is a welcome tune-up of a modern classic. If you have never played Guerrilla Games' 2017 original, this is the definitive way to experience it. While many of the visual enhancements may be rather subtle, they are widespread, and do a lot to bring the game up to the standards of its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. The new DualSense controller features and accessibility options are also excellent additions that serve to make Horizon Zero Dawn far more immersive and approachable. That said, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered doesn't deliver much more than that, and players wanting more improvements on the gameplay side of things may be left wanting.
I really enjoyed Unknown 9: Awakening; I loved its pulpy globetrotting action tone and likable cast, and the combat and stealth were rather a lot of fun. The ability to remote control foes and turn them against their allies was a cool unique mechanic that, if anything, could have stood to be even more central to the gameplay. Despite some less-than-stellar boss fights and a somewhat shallow main villain, I had a very good time with Unknown 9: Awakening, and so might you. Hopefully it, and the rest of the Unknown 9 expanded universe, will find enough of an audience that we will see more of Haroona's story in the future.
I wish I enjoyed Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire more than I do. There is plenty to love, such as its charming visuals, fun narrative and worldbuilding. However, it's simply hard to look past the clunky gameplay, from the incredibly slow and repetitive animations to the clunky menu navigation, and that's not even mentioning the bugs. Hopefully, the worst of them will be patched out, but at least at launch, Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire is a turbulent experience, and worth recommending only for those willing to brave the game's flaws.
The kindest thing I can say about Shattered Space is that it's "just more Starfield", and if you wanted more missions and story content, then this expansion delivers. However, if you didn't enjoy the base game very much, Shattered Space doesn't provide much reason to return. If you wanted a colourful new planet to roam around and a couple of new scripted story missions to expand your experience with Starfield, Shattered Space certainly provides that. However, with few particularly unique missions that stand out from the main game, and an overall lack of new mechanics, interesting new narrative content, or polish, only the most diehard of Starfield fans are likely to get much out of it.
Bloomtown: A Different Story is a very special game, and one of 2024's hidden gems. While its premise and combat won't come across as the most original at a glance, the sheer care and skill at which the developers combine those familiar ingredients, from its fluid animations, engaging narrative, earwormy soundtrack and surprisingly deep combat, all come together in an exceptional package. If you wanted a bite-sized Persona game that you can finish in a reasonable timeframe, or are just a fan of turn-based RPGs in general, Bloomtown: A Different Story is a very easy recommend.
Urban fantasy which mixes fantastical elements with a recognisable and familiar setting is one of my favourite genres, and Reynatis' premise definitely ticks a lot of those boxes. However, despite a generally rather fun combat system and memorable soundtrack, Reynatis breaks down as it progresses, with dull environments, forced backtracking, poor technical performance and lengthy boss fights. If you can look past these issues, there is some fun to be had, but it is a highly tentative recommendation at best.
Enotria: The Last Song is a compelling little soulslike which has enough of its own identity to be worth a recommendation, even if not all of its elements individually work as well. The emphasis on the game's melee combat leaves its magic system a little clunky, and despite an impressive amount of flexibility in the game's RPG mechanics, the ability to swap between different loadouts mid-combat wasn't all that useful. Despite these minor drawbacks, the challenging boss fights, gorgeous art direction and fun exploration make this a worthwhile addition to any soulslike fan's library.
Squirrel with a Gun has a janky charm, from its crazy attack animations to occasionally ridiculous physics-based challenges. The concept of a platformer where the player character is so tiny that their gun is used to propel them into the air is a clever one that I wish was used in a more enjoyable game. However, despite some occasionally fun challenges and crazy cutscenes, Squirrel with a Gun feels overstretched across its roughly eight-hour playtime, with an overall lack of technical polish that goes beyond funny and becomes frustrating to play. It isn't bad overall and certainly has its fun moments (particularly the boss fights), but the bugs and general jankiness of the experience hold it back from reaching its full potential.
I found myself very pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed Star Wars Outlaws. I became quite invested in its grounded heist narrative, even if its supporting characters didn't really rise above one-note stereotypes. It was a blast exploring the Star Wars galaxy, whether it was shooting down TIE fighters in space or just chilling in a Sabacc den playing cards with Lando Calrissian. Ubisoft Massive has done an excellent job in crafting an open-world Star Wars adventure, and this is one heist that is worth signing up for.
Eden Genesis is quite a fun title which fans of 2D platformers and speedrunning in particular are likely to enjoy. While the plot won't knock your socks off, it's a reasonably engaging little sci-fi tale while it lasts. The game is let down by its slow-paced mandatory combat levels, of which there are way too many and which feel at odds with the lightning-fast and flowing platforming which makes up the bulk of the rest of the game. However, with plenty of extra content to experience once you have reached the end credits, those looking for an engaging 2D platforming challenge to test your skill and reflexes will have a good time with Eden Genesis.
While updated graphics and a new control scheme are all well and good, Aspyr should have done more to bring Star Wars: Bounty Hunter into the present day. The lives system should have stayed in the early 2000s where it belongs, as all it serves to do is make the game's already murderous level of difficulty even more aggravating by dragging out the experience and arbitrarily making players replay huge chunks of the game whenever the game serves up enough cheap deaths. The bounty hunting system also could have done with improvements to make it easier and more enjoyable to interact with. While there is some fun to be found with flying through the sky and gunning down your enemies, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is overall too frustrating an experience to be an easy recommend for anyone but the most diehard of Star Wars fans.
#BLUD is a hack-and-slash game that is overflowing with style. With its colourful cast of characters and gorgeous animation, it would certainly be nice to see more of Becky and her friends, even in another medium, such as what Cuphead received with The Cuphead Show! on Netflix. If you're the sort of gamer who can look past the release's occasional lack of polish and simple combat, and values unique and charming aesthetics, then #BLUD is definitely worth checking out.
Despite some very minor bugbears holding back the experience, it's hard to come away from Hauntii without feeling thoroughly delighted. The game is a testament to how much fluid and detailed art and animation and a great soundtrack can carry an experience. The game's central haunting mechanic is enjoyable to experiment with, and has plenty of clever implementations as you scour Eternity searching for hidden stars. If you're seeking a more chill collectathon with gorgeous artwork and musical score, Hauntii is certainly worth seeking out.
King Arthur: Legion IX is a decent strategy RPG experience, with an intuitive user interface, as well as cool abilities and gameplay ideas which strategy fans should find appealing. That said, with the game throwing waves of tanky foes at you while restricting the number of allies you can bring along, what starts as a fun and fair challenge begins to feel like an irritating slog before long. Couple that with a fairly unengaging and shallow cast and narrative and you're left with a fun combat system and some interesting enemy designs, but not a whole lot more to it. If you enjoyed King Arthur: Knight's Tale, then this Roman-themed additional campaign may be the new content which you have been waiting for. For anyone else, it is more of a tentative recommendation.
Broken Roads is a game that I wish I liked more. The authentic Aussie identity which shines through its dialogue, voice acting, and art is a joy to behold, and its exploration of morality through the application of classical moral frameworks in a post-apocalyptic setting is a terrific idea that brings a unique spin to played-out moral choice systems. Unfortunately, underwhelming combat and loading screen-laden fetch quests definitely hold it back, and the presence of game-breaking bugs make it only a tentative recommendation as long as you keep those aspects in mind.
Highwater is a fun little strategy game about the end of the world, and the struggle of a small group of people trying to survive. The strategy gameplay has some rather creative ideas, albeit ones arguably not exploited to their fullest. Some of the game's elements, primarily the long, largely uneventful boat trips between combat encounters, may be polarising to those seeking a more densely-packed and fast-paced experience. However, if you can get on its level, sit back and enjoy the music and engaging narrative, you'll likely have a good time with Highwater.
Classified: France '44 is rather good as both a turn-based combat experience and an exploration of one of history's darkest periods. Whether you are sneaking around taking down Nazis from the shadows or heading in guns blazing, the game is fun and decently complex, with enough variety in terms of units to recruit and factions to side with to encourage multiple playthroughs. While the missions themselves start to blend together after a while, and the soundtrack could have stood to throw in one or two new battle themes for the sake of variety, I think any fan of history or turn-based combat is going to have a rather good time with Classified: France '44, and I look forward to Absolutely Games hopefully building on this foundation with future games exploring different periods and settings.