The way Empire of Sin combines diplomacy, turn-based combat, and narrative gameplay mechanics is incredibly ambitious. While there’s plenty to keep you engaged, the format doesn’t always work, and sometimes it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stats and missions. Even though the game has its shortcomings, its atmosphere, characters, and environment are fantastic. And if you decide to persevere, there’s plenty to love in Empire of Sin.
The Pathless’ story and movement mechanics are where it truly shines. Exploring the landscape at superhuman speed feels like absolute magic and makes the game’s large surface easy to explore. Full of colour, beautiful landscapes, and mysterious gods and puzzles, The Pathless is sure to keep you engaged from beginning to end.
ScourgeBringer offers players an engaging roguelike challenge that will be a joy to play for fans of the genre. With its tight controls, beautiful graphics, and thrilling combat, ScourgeBringer is sure to keep you on your toes throughout a run.
Partisans 1941 offers some great combat and stealth mechanics that will appeal to fans of the Command series, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, and Desperados III. While it might not have the engrossing story of its counterparts and may lack polish in places, the gameplay mechanics still make for a thrilling ride from start to finish.
The Survivalists is a great sandbox game that will have you exploring for hours, whether you’re playing by yourself or with friends. With its engaging and colourful pixelated environment, it’s easy to while away the hours roaming the game’s beaches or sailing the seas. If you don’t mind a non-linear gaming experience and you’re not afraid to explore the world in your own time, this game will be a joy to play.
While all the components are there to make Port Royale 4 an immersive strategy game, it just falls short of being completely engrossing. A slow naval battling system and counterintuitive UI hold the title back and make the overall experience sluggish.
Paradise Killer offers up a layered detective story set in a unique world with a distinct aesthetic. If you’re keen on titles like Phoenix Wright and are open to detective stories set in an unusual environment, chances are you won’t want to miss this one. With a thrilling plot and quirky characters, Paradise Killer is sure to have you hooked.
Iron Harvest is an incredibly impressive RTS game that’ll have you planning and strategising your next move on the battlefield for hours on end. If you’re a fan of RTS games and are not put off by planning and a bit of micromanagement, there’s plenty to love in the 1920+ universe for fans of games like Command and Conquer and Age of Empires.
Wasteland 3 does an amazing job of keeping players invested in its world through its writing, sound, and visuals. When it comes to world-building and characters, Wasteland 3 leaves its predecessors in the Wasteland franchise in the dust.
Fans of titles like Railroad Tycoon and Sid Meier’s Railroads will find plenty to keep them busy in Railway Empire: Complete Edition. While the game takes a while to crack and the AI’s behaviour can be frustrating, this title offers plenty of engrossing content to cater to different kinds of players.