Bleak Faith: Forsaken's interesting art design can't save it from its glitches, bugs, and myriad terrible game design decisions. (Review Policy)
Despite a promising setup, Red Tape accidentally embodies the concept of the banality of evil thanks to its boring gameplay and poor writing.
Dolmen is yet another Soulslike that proves this formula is almost impossible to get right. It's a flat, boring experience with none of the spark and vigor it needs to transcend its many technical flaws.
A beautiful comic book aesthetic can't save Foreclosed from its mindlessly repetitive combat, poor story and characters, and overly linear levels.
Thymesia may boast more Bloodborne influence than its peers, but it fails to transcend its mediocre combat, appalling lack of enemy variety, and dearth of content.
Shattered - Tale of the Forgotten King is brimming with potential. Unfortunately, it's too buggy, boring, and repetitive to realize that potential.
Bite the Bullet is an aesthetically unappealing mess of ideas. Its shooting has some nutritional value, but it's bogged down by terrible presentation and lackluster execution.
Lost Ember is almost a good game. Its animal exploration mechanics are well-realized. Unfortunately, it's bogged down by technical issues, lackluster storytelling, and frustrating event flagging.
Solar Ash has a strong core gameplay loop, but its weak story and heavy repetition make it tough to recommend.
Wildfire has a huge amount of potential, but it's let down by frustrating trial-and-error gameplay, clunky controls and poor level design.
Whether or not you vibe with Restless Soul's comedy will entirely determine whether you have a good time with it. I'm growing rather tired of self-referentiality in-game humor, and I also like my jokes to come from real characters, so Restless Soul's comedy didn't entirely work for me. If your sense of humor is different to mine, you may find the comedy more tolerable, and if you do, there's a perfectly agreeable quasi-bullet hell adventure to be had here. The whole experience is rather insubstantial and lacks a solid core gameplay mechanic to hang everything else on, but it's got a lot of heart, and that counts for something.
Kingdom of the Dead has solid combat and good level design, but it's let down by an absence of challenge and some severe performance issues.
Mortal Shell boasts responsive combat and gorgeous visuals, but it's let down by rote level design, poor storytelling, and a general unfinished feel.
Hellbound's core gameplay loop is punchy, satisfying, and cathartic. It's just a shame there's so little of it.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights starts out promisingly, with a massive map, compelling exploration, and solid combat. Unfortunately, it collapses into frustrating, overly difficult repetition by the end.
Shadow Man Remastered infuriates as often as it delights, but it's a solid experience, and Nightdive has done an excellent job preserving it.
Cyber Hook has an insanely satisfying core gameplay loop. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much else to offer.
Neon Abyss is occasionally great. It's let down by repetition, uneven difficulty, and the occasional game-breaking bug.
Simulacra 2 is an improvement on its predecessor, but there's further to go. A tighter narrative and better interface design don't quite compensate for sketchy writing and silly horror.
Lies of P has excellent combat and a raft of well-designed boss fights, but bad storytelling permeates a sense that you've seen all of this before.