Riddlewood Manor is a terrifyingly great puzzler with a just as haunting, memorable narrative. A horror adventure doable in less than an hour for puzzle pros, plenty of secrets reward those curious enough to explore every possible avenue the house has behind it.
With its main offering being the ability to shoot your way through Purgatory with friends, the shine wears off rather quickly.
Refined in every single way, The Outer Worlds 2 is not simply a better sequel: it’s the new gold standard in the narrative FPS genre.
Over the course of its four chapters, Little Nightmares 3 emulates what made the series great, but fails to live up to the potential its predecessors achieved.
An art exhibit where you’re the subject, there is much to ponder about while playing this experience. Objects talk about their impermanence, characters reminisce openly about how finite life is. Even though there are somewhat clear goals, such as ringing a bell at the top of a tower, Dreams of Another is anything but what you would consider a straightforward video game.
Powered by classic horror flicks, absurd anime cutscenes and a truly unhinged storyline full of murderers, this bloodfest is absolutely not for the faint of heart. It’s loud, it’s wacky, and it is not afraid to commit to the bit. Off-the-rails videogame concepts might not be new, but the way it is tied up here certainly feels like one of the unique video games to exist in the current gaming landscape, let alone 2025. SUDA51 has stated that this is one of his finest achievements, and you know what? I believe it.
Consume Me will disarm you with its earnest approach to difficult topics like our relationship with food due to its smart structure. Set in a backdrop of joyful music and snappy minigames, its biting social commentary resonates on every level. Parents’ impossible expectations for our futures, immature romantic relationships, and uncomfortable family dinners all pack a punch in the way they are written.
More than a homage, Quartet builds upon what its predecessors planted to flourish into its own. Sure of itself in every aspect, building your party all the way to eight characters while unraveling the grander narrative in the background, it is impossible to put down this game. With a console announcement in the works, I just hope it reaches more audiences that can see what turn-based greatness looks like.
This game, like any other, has its limitations. That is exactly why it thrives: it has a campaign that can be finished in less than 15 hours, for one, with up to 30 doing side content. It does its best with what it has. It has no bloat at all, and every area is used effectively to throw you a curveball with a quirky side quest, puzzle, or fight. Even the combat that doesn’t have a lock-on button feels snappy once you get used to it. As developer Twirlbound’s sophomore entry, it’s clear where their influences lie, but triumphing beyond a homage is what should be recognized here.
Rushing down a hill with your herd feels exhilarating, if a bit unwieldy. When art direction, music, and gameplay come together, Herdling is an exercise of mindful stimulation.
And Roger is a brief but emotional one-hour visual novel. It does not take long to understand its narrative argument. But the way it is presented is so impactful that it does not need more than that to accomplish its goal. To witness a loved one’s mental decline is devastating, to the point where the game even goes on to mention approaching religion to find solace in times of need.
What Luto does best that sets it apart from the usual first-person psychological horror is how unequivocally human the story is. Depression is as real as it gets, and while effectively using bedsheets in your face to hammer home how inescapable it can be, it is also heartbreaking. Luto is a narrative of loss, grief, and bargaining with that temptation to give up.
Wheel World is committed to the unparalleled sensation of freedom. Hampered by performance issues, it does its best to recreate the joys of cycling.
Deftly carving its own adventure without leaning too hard into the usual tropes, anybody looking for a great challenge should look no further.
An isometric stealth narrative in a league of its own, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a sensational example of what ambitious, cinematic aspirations and expertly plotted gameplay can accomplish together.
A genre-defining adventure, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo nails that innate arcadey feeling just right. Its inspired puzzles, wacky dialogues, and perfectly recreated GBA soundtrack and graphics do make it feel like someone unearthed this game recently after being lost to the sands of time.
Alas, there is so much more to the world of Fruitbus beyond fulfilling demanding orders from customers. Every character has their own daily routines, preoccupations, and goals. Disrupting their lives with your whimsical food truck also entails listening to their problems, hopefully forging bonds with them in the process. By the end, you will likely even have favorites among the charming cast.
While Instants is basically a game where you solve the straightforward puzzle of how things came to be, at its core, is about letting your creativity run wild. Looking at heartwarming moments in life, such as the first date, the birth of a couple’s first child, or the opening of presents on Christmas Day are the basis of the albums, but your way of decorating each of these stories will give it a personal touch that can make it authentically yours.
Comfort food tastes good, especially in times of need. But talking from a personal perspective and considering the developer’s previous games, perhaps I was hoping for more than what I got. For everyone else, there is a perfectly fine farm sim with charming characters and another farm to live in, if only for a moment.
Sadly, as it stands, Section 13 is marred by technical issues that make it hard for me to recommend, but there is a worthwhile adventure beneath the issues. Perhaps it will be amended down the line.