My Lovely Empress offers an interesting mix of mechanics. Making sure the empire is growing and all classes are satisfied is pretty hard, even when bonds with the Yaoguai are strong. On top of that players need to woo neighboring rulers and decide how to best go about the complex task of bringing the empress back to life.
Arco has a unique look and world and a set of mechanics that are easy to understand but grow in complexity as characters unlock more options. I never got used to the ghosts that randomly join the fight but was eager to replay engagements to avoid losing even one pip of health.
Sins of a Solar Empire II is a great space-based real-time strategy game. It is designed to primarily appeal to those who liked the original, splitting factions into two, introducing variation to the star systems, and adding to the tactical complexity. The game does not offer a campaign, but each match generates its own unique stories.
Volgarr the Viking II is designed to appeal to players who liked the first installment, with its mix of difficulty and reward. The Norse-themed universe does not offer much in the way of story, but it has tight gameplay and plenty of challenges for players to face. Accept the fact that you’ll end up as a zombie at one point and get ready to delete saves to try again.
The Operator will attract anyone who likes a good mystery with some very contemporary themes and does not care too much about complex gameplay. The story moves at a good pace, the characters have personalities, and the general atmosphere of paranoia works well. But the mechanics are built around a computer screen, a few apps, and plenty of reading.
Minds Beneath Us is spectacular when delivering slice-of-life moments, both if they involve the main character and when it comes to ancillary conversations in the background. It’s also good at creating an interesting vision of the future while offering a core narrative that tackles modern themes in engaging ways. Its presentation adds to the immersion level, although the lack of faces will be a little disturbing.
Tavern Talk delivers on the coziness front, with a relaxed attitude and plenty of interesting stories to engage with. All the characters have something unique, and the game does a good job of blending fantasy elements with classic themes. Actually, creating the potions isn’t very hard and I like how they influence the outcomes of quests.
Vampire Therapist manages to make the rather dry concepts of cognitive behavioral therapy interesting by linking them to interesting characters. I like how the sessions develop and how the game adds new concepts and asks players to find the best ways to use them. The voice acting is good enough to paper over some small issues with the writing.
Linkito is clever and varied, offering players more than 100 puzzles to tackle. The simple idea of moving a wire between yellow and blue sockets to let the electricity flow is simple and gets tweaked in a variety of innovative ways. Each location gives players a certain type of challenge, using both normal puzzles for progression and more complex ones for those who want a challenge.
Fans of real-world sport will probably pick F1 Manager 2024 because it gives them the option to create their custom team and then take on the established powers of the sport. It’s fun to pick one of the origins and then strive to use every small competitive advantage to get at least a few wins against the likes of Ferrari or Red Bull.
SCHiM is an indie gem that is both simple in concept, but also bursting of creativity and originality. The gameplay itself might be a bit too simplistic for those looking for an adrenaline rush or instant gratification, but those who love this kind of puzzle 3D platformers will truly appreciate the effort behind it.
KAKU: Ancient Seal is a decent representative of the third-person action genre that doesn’t find ways to innovate in interesting ways. The core mechanics are decent, and the world is at times impressive. There’s plenty of depth to combat. But the narrative stalls after a few hours and fighting will become repetitive despite the wealth of new moves players can learn.
Undead Inc. can deliver a decent management experience, as long as the developers continue to deliver updates that eliminate crashes, deal with the other bugs, and introduce better balance. It is fun to create a thriving pharma entity that manages to invest in weird research and fulfill major black-market contracts while deceiving everyone.
Still Joking is an interactive novel experience with a good cast and a great protagonist. Iris is bewildered and fiery, determined to find out what happened to her real-world counterpart while also finding the best way to move past her trauma. The game’s writing works well with the theme, although there are conversations that feel much too long. The developers claim that there are more than 1,000 unique choices to make, so there’s a ton of space for multiple playthroughs.
Pro Cycling Manager 2024 creates a complex mix of team management and race action that is designed to draw in cycling fans. The title features real names and likenesses for most riders and teams, which adds to the immersion. And races feel more exciting than in previous installments, although it can be harder for smaller teams to make an impact.
The world is so interesting and the gameplay engaging enough that I wanted the game to be longer, which is a rarity these days. I’m hoping that McQuacklin will take more cases in the future and will have the opportunity to enjoy many more bread slices. Play Duck Detective: The Secret Salami in two or three sessions, enjoy the humor, and try to solve the mystery without resorting to hints.
Capes is clearly designed to appeal to anyone who has played and liked X-COM and its tactical puzzles. The game successfully moves the action to a universe featuring superheroes. I liked the theme, although the developers don’t do much new with it. Unfortunately, the presentation, especially the graphics, isn’t as good as the mechanics.
The gameplay is addictive and innovative, while the controls are simple and tight. Perhaps the game needed a few more tunes, but the pixel art is very well done. There’s no voice-acting, but there’s a little bit of an unconventional story to discover if you’re a fan of mysteries. The only downside is that Nuclear Blaze ends very fast. It’s like a very short SCP novel that you read while commuting. It took me less than two hours to finish it, but I had a lot of fun. Get this if you’re looking for a good platformer.
Astor: Blade of the Monolith is a project that clearly has potential, and it shows that it was developed with dedication, but it feels like more attention was invested in how the game looks rather than how it plays. The combat system and the game mechanics feel a tad archaic and too repetitive. By no means is the game a bad one, but it cannot be called remarkable. It offers fun moments, stylish visuals and an interesting story, but the repetitive gameplay makes it best played in limited doses.
Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip is not for everybody. This is not a massive open world with a ton of complex systems and a variety of objectives. The game is focused on getting Terry and his car into space. The town is small but serves a concentrated dose of positive weirdness and mini-games.